How Do Interpersonal Relationships Affect Mental Health?

How social are human beings? When we don’t have and maintain healthy relationships, we’re at risk of suffering from various mental health issues, which could potentially contribute to or worsen physiologic conditions.

On the flip side, we feel happier, supported, motivated to pursue our dreams and add value to our community when surrounded by people who make us feel loved, valued, and accepted (and vice versa, it’s a give-and-take world). So, how do interpersonal relationships affect mental health? That’s what this article is about.

Mental Health

I’m aware that “mental health” is a term that is used loosely. Some of us go through a little bit of stress as everyone else daily and begin to whine “My mental health is declining” (you may just need a hug or a nap). But, despite the abuse, it does have a meaning.

Mental health or well-being contains our thoughts and feelings about ourselves and those around us, including how we respond to daily stressors and different circumstances. So, it covers our social, emotional, and psychological tendencies and well-being.

How interpersonal relationships affect mental health

Different types of interpersonal relationships play unique and entwined roles in our mental health and well-being. Here are a few ways interpersonal relationships can affect our mental health (negatively).

Stress and anxiety

Stress and anxiety are unavoidable in this existence we call life, agreed. But, there are concerning levels they can get to. If, when growing up, seeing your Dad return home from work makes you feel uneasy instead of excited, that’s not normal. Does your spouse complain five times more than they compliment you? That won’t feel great.

A low (or zero) satisfaction in your relationship with your family, spouse, and even friends can be a huge source of stress and anxiety for you. If the dynamics of your closest relationships aren’t spaces where you communicate freely and receive support, you’re most likely to feel more stressed and anxious.

Depression

Much of our enthusiasm and motivation comes from how we interact with people in our lives. Unhealthy relationships are linked with depression, especially parent-child relationships.

Our relationships with our parents are often our first introduction to the world and human behaviour. It has a significant effect on our mental health. A sour or toxic relationship with parents and other close relationships may trigger feelings of depression.

Suicidal thoughts

Have you ever felt like you’re alone and nobody loves or understands you even when there are literally other humans around? People are more likely to contemplate suicide when they feel closed off from people around them. The feeling of isolation or a lack of deep emotional connections with other humans, particularly those near them increases the tendency of someone to consider quietly exiting this world.

A study suggests a significant association between interpersonal relations and anxiety, depression, and suicide ideation among middle school students.

Psychophysiologic symptoms

The impact our interpersonal relationships have on our mental health may potentially trickle out to physical manifestations as well. And, that’s what the term psychophysiological refers to - physical or physiologic symptoms that can be traced to psychological issues. Emotional stress from unhealthy interpersonal relationships may trigger physiologic symptoms.

Although there are conflicting data on whether or not interpersonal relationships influence our physical health, some studies suggest that your physical health may be at risk in unhealthy interpersonal relationships.

Interpersonal relationships also enhance mental health

Interpersonal relationships aren’t just important relationships with the potential to cause unending suffering and heartache. When done right, healthy relationships satisfy our deep longing to be loved and are a source of joy, mutual support, motivation, and encouragement.

Improving Your Interpersonal Relationships

When we think of having better relationships around us, it’s not unusual for us to think of how the people in our lives aren’t loving or treating us in the way we’d like. Or, why our parents and upbringing made us a certain way, but the truth is that we’re responsible for our lives. If we don’t like the way our parents treated us, we can take the initiative to work on the relationship.

We can make the decision not to perpetuate such behaviour in our relationships. We can decide to invest in healthy friendships and even if someone doesn’t reciprocate our affections in the way we prefer, we can move forward knowing not everyone will respond that way. The bottom line is that we can decide to improve our interpersonal relationships.

Finally, Beloved Reader

When you think about your health, well-being, fulfillment, and satisfaction, don’t limit it to your career, finances, and diet. Think about your relationship with people. Consider unhealthy relationships you need to heal from or amend.

Plan to show up as the best partner, parent, child, friend, and coworker. You feel healthier when you are cordial, civil, valuable, and at peace with the people in your life. At least, for the most part, because no relationship is perfect.

Alright, that’s all for this piece. Do check out our other articles, if you please.