Relationships of all types can be difficult, especially for those suffering from anxiety, or more crippling, social anxiety.

People with social anxiety often need extra energy to retain relationships. Yet, a relationship can be long-term despite numerous difficulties.

Building real and long-term relationships, not only for those suffering from social anxiety, is essential for many reasons.

7 Steps to Build a Successful Relationship

1. Accept the other person’s feelings and opinions. Social anxiety is crippling, but this step is critical to a successful relationship.
2. Openly communicate feelings and opinions. Expecting the other person to fulfill our desires without asking is not conducive, but easily done if a person has social anxiety.
3. Respect is vital to relationships. Both people need to show respect.  Listening and genuinely trying to understand each other are two ways of showing respect.
4. Respect yourself.  People with social anxiety often think less of themselves, but respecting yourself is vital to any relationship.
5. Resolve differences with the other person straightforwardly.  People with social anxiety tend to hide their problems avoiding conflict at all cost.
6. Listen without pre-judgment.  Social anxiety is an extreme fear of person judgment.
7. Develop an atmosphere where each party can express their feelings when needed.

Relationships can be difficult, social anxiety and relationships can be even more challenging.

Some difficulties found in relationships where social anxiety exists are a history of stereotyping or mistrust, blaming the other person or party for a strained relationship, and excluding the other person’s feelings.

If you suffer from social anxiety and need further help with dating and relationships, read this post.

Nearly everybody knows the song ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy‘ by Bobby McFerrin. The song has a very captivating method of communicating its message of being happy. Bobby McFerrin made many people happy with his simple message of telling them not to worry.

Living a happy and positive life is fantastic, and is great for your health. Being happy in fact shelters you from the stresses of life. Main causes of death like heart disease, cancer and stroke are stress related.

9 Steps To Happiness!

1. Gratefulness is a fantastic attitude.  We have a great deal to be thankful for. Thank the taxi driver for your safe trip, thank the cook for a superb meal and thank the gardener.
2. News is stressful, so get less. A number of people truly can’t start their day without their morning news. Think about it, 99% of the news we hear or read is terrible news. Beginning the day with bad news isn’t a wise thing to do.
3. Manage your time. Time is precious and too valuable to squander. A list of rules that includes scheduling, setting goals, planning, making a to-do list and prioritizing, is the basics of time management.
4. Laugh and laugh with gusto every day.  Picked up a good joke? Pass it on to your friends or family. As they also say -’Laughter is the best medicine’.
5. Communicate your feelings, love, friendship and passion to those near you. They will almost certainly return your actions. Don’t hold built-up anger of frustrations, this is unhealthy.
6. Working hard brings enormous personal happiness. It provides a sense of competency in completing our tasks. Accomplishments are essential for all of us; they provide us a sense of worth.
7. Learning is a happy undertaking. Seek to learn something new every day.  Learning also makes us develop and extend our horizons, and could give us additional opportunities in the future.
8. Run, jog, walk and do other things to make your body feel alive.
9. Elude exposure to negative issues like loud noises, poisons and dangerous areas.

These are 9 easy things you can do every day to be happy.

Always remember the quote from Abraham Lincoln; he says, “Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”

Depression can be as normal as anxiety.  Things happen in our lives that truly cause us to feel depressed. If a loved one dies, it is normal to experience depression.

There comes a point when depression is not normal, like:

• depression symptoms staying more than two weeks
• depression symptoms that cause suicidal thoughts
• depression symptoms that prevent you from doing your usual activities

It is vital to identify the symptoms of depression so you can get treatment, or to provide support to a depressed friend or loved one.

Depression Symptoms

1. Lack of energy
2. Crabbiness
3. Body aches and pains
4. Trouble concentrating
5. Self-hatred
6. Altered sleep patterns - too little or too much
7. Change in appetite - eating more or less than normal
8. Loss of interest in daily activities
9. Thoughts of helplessness
10. Thoughts of despair

If the depression symptoms haven’t disappeared in a couple of weeks, it may not pass without the proper treatment.

Your medical doctor can determine whether a physical condition is causing the depression. If it is not, he can direct you to the right doctor for treatment.