1. RELATIONSHIPS DETERMINE OUR HAPPINESS

Hello and welcome to the relationship workshop! 

This workshop is uniquely structured so that you can complete in a matter of days, or extend the exercises over a few weeks. This is an incredibly busy time of year, so set whichever pace works best for you and your ability to be consistent. 

Our relationships and sense of community is the single most significant contribution to our overall happiness and wellbeing. Thats right — our relationships and the quality of them are the key to our happiness. In a world where we have been led to believe that what you achieve or perform will give you value and satisfaction, this can be hard to believe. But think to yourself for a moment — when you are in a fight with a loved one, doesn’t it change your mood for the whole day? Similarly, when you are falling in love, isn’t it funny how the rest of life can illuminate with a golden glow? 

An 80 year study conducted by Harvard revealed this after following 268 sophomores from 1938 all the way to 2018. The intent of the study was to gain clues on the best way to lead healthy and happy lives. What they found was incredibly fascinating. “The surprising finding is that our relationships and how happy we are in our relationships has a powerful influence on our health,” said Robert Waldinger, director of the study, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. “Taking care of your body is important, but tending to your relationships is a form of self-care too. That, I think, is the revelation.”

With this knowledge, that our happiness and our personal health are so significantly influenced by our relationships — there couldn’t be more reason to review them and explore tools to expand them. 

We will explore relationships in reference to ourselves, others and the world. We will finish the Workshop with how to water our garden (caring for all the relationships we have in our lives) and making compassion and love our primary intent.

When you’re ready — let’s jump in.