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The relationships we cultivate play a central role in our lives. Women tend to take their roles in those relationships seriously. While these relationships are crucial, your own wellbeing and life are even more significant. After all, if you’re not doing well, you can't fulfil your role in your relationships properly.

While it’s easy to say, it’s not easy to achieve. We tend to neglect our own wellbeing in favour of others. While altruism is a noble goal, it cannot come at the expense of your own peace and happiness.

While not a cure-all, these five tips can help you navigate the relationships that help define your life, while helping you take care of your own mental wellbeing at the same time.

Map your life

Take a step back and look at your life like a map. Understand who and where you’re going by defining the roles you play in the route that you want your life to take. It is so easy to get burnt out by tasks and roles that you could have delegated or asked your loves ones for help with. Mapping out your life will make you understand the details of your efforts, energy consumption, and how much time you have.

Prioritise

Time is sensitive in relationships. That’s why it’s vital to communicate your priorities with your loved ones so they can have realistic expectations of you. Shift your priority list as needed and audit the time sensitivity of each priority.

Identify your needs

Everyone has different needs in relationships. Take the time to understand your unique needs and ensure you meet them. It does not have to be expensive, hard, or even time-consuming. It can be as easy as watching the sunset or waking up early. Identify the role you play in your own life and how that extends to others in your life.

It's okay to slip

Remember, it's natural to miss the mark sometimes. Don't beat yourself up over it. Life is not always perfect and everything doesn’t always go according to plan, even when we put in the effort.

Argue with empathy

Conflict can be emotionally taxing. This can make it feel like the argument was started out of malice, which is not always the case. Approach conflict situations with empathy and curiosity, find out what the other person’s needs are without being defensive. Then you can acknowledge their needs, offer a possible resolution, or ask for more time if time is needed.

Be part of a community

Ask for help and offer help where needed. Be there for others and allow people to be there for you. Also, while being in service to love and receiving love, remember that NO is a necessary response sometimes.

Rest and recharge

Make sure to take breaks and recharge. You'll be better in relationships when your cup is full.

These isn’t an exhaustive guide, just markers and reminders for your long, winding, beautiful road. Healthy relationships are great. They can only be wonderful if you prioritise your wellbeing as well.

Should there be elements of your mental and emotional health you are concerned about, consult the Tempo Emotional Wellbeing Journey for a wealth of resources and practical tools to assist you. The EWJ is available to all Bestmed beneficiaries regardless of their chosen option via the Bestmed App and Member portal on our website.