Relationships and Trust

Meaningful Relationships

Do I easily trust my coworkers? Easily, no. Trust others, not exactly.

Am I able to express my own feelings in relationships with others? Sometimes yes, sometimes no...Depends on who I'm communicating with. Still working on that one. I don't trust others with my feelings. The thought of doing that with everyone except for a small handful of people in my life is terrifying. I know I need to change though. I come home at night with my feelings in tow, lingering over my head like a gray storm cloud.

My coworker came to me the other day with feedback about something I had done. How she communicated that feedback hurt my feelings. Instead of my usual mode of operation, I decided to come clean with her. It was not what I expected. Things got more heated at first. It was clear that we both had unresolved negative feelings about working with one another. It pretty much just sucked for a bit. But by the end of the day, I felt that we could get things back on track. Afterall, we had both aired some of our feelings. And I gave myself permission to separate my initial reaction to the situation from the ultimate meaning I took from our interaction.

By expressing myself, I didn't feel vulnerable like I thought I would. I felt free. I felt free to move on and not hold onto negative feelings. Talking with my coworker brought me one step closer to improving trust with an important relationship.

Assess your personal relationships here, and hopefully it will bring some clarity to your own relationships like it has for me.