Life is beautiful. But it is also confusing, complicated, and messy. The people we live with, the people we work with, and the people we love, can make life feel exciting and joyful, but they can also be frustrating, sensitive, difficult, and upsetting. It’s normal to find juggling lots of different types of relationships exhausting!

It is clear that the quality of our lives seriously depends on the quality of our relationships. But unless we studied psychology, most of us go through life never being taught the secret science of developing healthy, unproblematic relationships! We are not born knowing how to handle conflicts with all the different personality types. And we might have a hard time figuring out why we have a person – or why they make us so angry too! But don’t worry – whether friendships, marriages, relationships with our children or parents, or colleagues – every tricky relationship can be fixed. 

Take a moment to reflect on the relationships in your life that are going well, and think about what makes these relationships so strong. Is there anything that could make it even better? Now think about any relationships with people that feel difficult. What role do you play in these relationships? What do you think could be improved and why?

It is ok if you don’t have the answers. The first step is simply acknowledging how you feel, and accepting when something needs changing or could be better. The good news is there are many free resources online that can help you explore your behavior and interactions with others to help you become more successful in all the areas of life you would like to improve. 

We pulled together a list of helpful places to start:

Work better with colleagues

• The power of healthy relationships at work – Harvard Business Review 
• 3 ways to connect better with your coworkers – video 
• Hello Leena guide to boundaries in the workplace 
• Tony Robbins – helpful articles on making a leadership impact  

Relationships with family and friends 

• Dr Sarah Ahmad: @the.poc.therapist (TikTok); @the.poc.therapist (Instagram) 
• Safa Al Chami: @safaalchami (Instagram), @thealchamilife (TikTok) 
• Dr Saliha Afridi – Instagram
• Find Your Light – Instagram – helpful conversations on how people found their light! 
• Hello Leena guide to setting boundaries with family 
• Hello Leena guide to protecting your personal boundaries
  
  

Romantic relationships/marriage

• Gottman Institute – research-based advice for better relationships 
• Hello Leena guide to boundaries in romantic relationships 

• Sameera Qureshi – Instagram – Islamic relational health 
• Amira Zaky – Instagram – a God-conscious sexual health educator for women 
• Dr Nadia: @spiritual.psychologist  coach/therapist who focuses on relationships with in-laws.
• Chayn.co – culturally informed resources in multiple languages for survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse 

Parenting advice and tips  

• Gottman Institute – research-based parenting advice and tips 
• Dr Hanaa Ph.D: @drhanaa_peacewithinhome (Instagram) 
• Maysaa Fahour: @coachmayseq (Instagram) 

• Asumini Kasule: @asuminikasule (Instagram)