Australia is almost bursting at the seams with brilliant diversity and we’re all just catching up as our richly textured, multi-flavoured melting pot continues to bubble with new mixes and changes. The extent of contemporary human diversity apparent today might not have even been imagined fifty years ago. We express diverse ethnicities, languages, cultures, politics and philosophies and spring from so many different social, creative, sporting and educational communities. Unsurprisingly, our relationships are also now as varied as anyone may wish to imagine.
In addition to diverse identities and communities, there are newly emerging models of families, different health practice options, varied media platforms, modern and renovated traditional home designs and all manner of workplace configurations that are all challenging our conceptions and practices about ‘relating’.
It is natural that with the multiplicity of types of inter-human relationships, and their many new overlaps and intersections, there are more potential challenges and difficulties in our relationships and interpersonal communication. While our fellow humans may be the source of profound joy, happiness and contentment for each other, we also sometimes cause each other the most deep sadness, anxiety or serious harm. Social change and complexity can add confusion to the interpersonal dynamics between intimate partners, among families, or with any significant others, whether in shared homes, workplaces, subcultures or social groups.
At Wellselves, we can provide expert help to individuals, couples, partners and work colleagues to achieve better understanding and improvement in all kinds of relationships. We focus on enhancing communication skills, developing better self-awareness, learning patience, tolerance, and forgiveness, restorative acceptance of differences in perceptions of interpersonal experience, resetting individual and shared goals, improving boundaries and positive trust development strategies. As we build better understanding and skills, we can then better and more honestly communicate about which relationships work best or don’t, to support our own and others’ growth in our complex lives.
-
Lifestyle experiences and expectations about ‘living well’ vary widely, sometimes shaped by the differences in learned cultural values, languages, religions or personal beliefs.
-
When the ‘status quo’ is disrupted, feelings of fear or anger can emerge or old patterns of behaviour can re-emerge.
-
Human systems evolve so rapidly sometimes, that those ‘in them’ feel left behind, lacking understanding about exactly what has changed.
-
Occasional misunderstandings are of course inevitable, but we can sometimes encounter unexpected, extreme reactions from others. We may unknowingly step on unseen relationship ‘landmines’ or find our own extreme reactions puzzling or shocking.
-
Feelings of vulnerability, arising from past stress or unprocessed trauma exposure, may prevent us from sharing or exploring our differences, so they remain unspoken and unheard. These can cause some to either ‘act out’ or react sensitively to others.
