Inspired to Change

It’s Not All About Love!

 

 

It's not all about love

It’s not all about love!

It’s the middle of February and our social media feeds are full of Valentine’s suggestions, gifts and messages. Valentine’s Day is a good reminder for us to show the special people in our life how much we love them. But could it be good for us in other ways too?

Good quality relationships are essential for our wellbeing.  When we interact with others in a positive way it boosts our levels of serotonin, our feel good hormone, you know, the one that puts a smile on our faces and a spring in our step!  When we hug each other yet another chemical is released – oxytocin, our bonding hormone which helps us build closer connections to those around us.

The evolutionary truth is we are safer as a tribe than as individuals so it makes sense for us to form strong relationships and stick together which is why we are so handsomely rewarded with that flood of feel good hormones when we do.

Relate’s most recent report on our relationships show us that a couple gets married every two minutes with marriages lasting longer and divorces on the decrease. So that’s some good news for our wellbeing surely?

But what about those of us who aren’t in a loving relationship? Valentine’s Day can get us reaching for the “log out” button on our social media accounts not wanting to come back online until the whole thing is over!  There are many people out there still looking for the perfect partner and just as many of us who are happy being single.  Don’t worry, you aren’t at a disadvantage as there are plenty of other ways you can boost your wellbeing through interaction with others!

The good news is we get as much of a hit of serotonin from our passing interactions as we do from our close relationships.  It’s often that quick chat with the person behind the shop counter, or that smile at someone we pass in the streets that really lifts our day.  So it’s well worth putting the effort in to make these happen.

It’s often these passing interactions that open our eyes to completely different ideas and perspectives. We tend to surround ourselves with people who have similar likes and dislikes to us – that is why they are our friends after all – but it’s those passing aquaintances that often invite us to different events we would never have thought of, or who suggest a book that we would never normally have read, widening our experiences and bringing more colour to our lives.

And guess what? When these passing aquaintances get us down to the Zumba class (the one we swore blind we’d never go!) we get an extra hit of serotonin!  You see, from an evolutionary point of view just doing the same thing we’ve always done is never going to get us out of the caves and into the board room.  We have to try new things so when we do we get handsomely rewarded with more of our lovely feel good hormones. Another reason those passing interactions are good for us!

So it’s not all about finding “the one”, but it is about interacting often, in a positive way, with a variety of people, from a quick smile to an in depth debate; from a hug and a kiss to a quick message to tell someone you are thinking about them.  It all boosts our wellbeing, but not just our own wellbeing, the wellbeing of those on the receiving end increases too because serotonin is a two way thing!

So here at Inspired to Change this Valentine’s we’re encouraging you to think more laterally! It’s not just about finding love, it’s about finding and building connections, it’s about opening our eyes to new experiences and perspectives, and it’s about actively seeking out opportunities to interact as this is what helps us to flourish.

Relationships are an essential part of our wellbeing, so it is well worth us creating positive relationships, not just with our partners but family, friends and co-workers too.

Solution focused hypnotherapy is a great way to help you focus on the positive aspects of your life, helping you to build your self-confidence so you can get out there and build more connections.  If you’re still struggling to create the connections you want to make it might be time to book in to see your local Inspired to Change Hypnotherapist for your FREE initial consultation.

Don’t forget to check out our Top Tips for Building Great Relationships

If you’d like to find out how hypnotherapy could help you achieve your goals get in touch with your local Inspired to Change hypnotherapist and book your FREE initial consultation.

Inspired to Change Hypnotherapists are based across the UK in Bristol, Cambridgeshire, Devon, Kent, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Norfolk and Somerset.

Inspired to Change Hypnotherapists are all recognised by the National Council for Hypnotherapy, the UK’s leading not-for-profit hypnotherapy professional association.

To find out how you can train as a solution focused hypnotherapist click here for our hypnotherapy school information