Quality relationships enrich your life, but gaining and maintaining good relationships is a skill that requires effort. If you want more out of your relationships, Open Arms can help.

Problems in relationships

Relationship issues are one of the most common reasons people seek Open Arms counselling. Struggling to get along with people can be one of the first signs of other problems.

You might need some support to help get your relationships back on track if you:

• don’t feel like talking to people
• don’t feel motivated to reach out to people or spend time with them
• feel uncomfortable sharing things that are on your mind
• don’t want to burden your friends and families with your concerns
• try and talk about your problems, but just end up arguing.

If you are regularly yelling or getting into fights, or experiencing more serious signs of conflict, you might need help with controlling anger and violence.

A vicious cycle

Living with stress and unpleasant moods doesn’t just affect the way we feel about ourselves. It also affects the way we interact with other people.

Because our friends and family are so important for our wellbeing, not getting along with them can mean we’re left with no supports. People often describe a vicious cycle of needing support from those around them, but pushing them away and becoming more isolated.

Underlying issues

For some veterans and serving members, relationship problems can be related to:

• depression
• anxiety
• trauma and posttraumatic stress
• alcohol or drug use.

Understanding and addressing the underlying issue will assist your relationship.

See also