Life lessons and Relationship Advice from the W to You!

1. Life lessons and Relationship Advice from the W to You! 10 Tips for healthy relationships, friendships, and you!

2. CU Women’s Resource Center UMC 416 http://www.colorado.edu/WomensResourceCenter

3. #1 Love Yourself!Remember that the most significant, challenging, and rewarding relationship you will have is the one you have with yourself. Loving yourself is fundamental to enjoying life and having healthy relationships. Be honest and confident in who you are Build your self esteem Be gentle, compassionate, and kind with yourself Be aware of your own strengths and weaknesses Be okay with yourself inside and outside of relationships Take on the life long process of learning to know yourself and learning to love yourself!

4. Take care of your own needs and goals Eat well and exercise Do things that interest and nourish you Get help for substance abuse and other personal struggles Put effort into keeping yourself balanced and energized Image from: transformation.com #2 Maintain Your Health

5. Know your boundaries and what is important to you Make your boundaries known Do not allow others to violate your boundaries Do not tolerate abuse of any kind Do not allow yourself to be abusive Do not be afraid of confrontation and open communication Admit it when you are wrong Be confident and do not second guess your instincts Don’t shy away from asking important questions about STI’s, pregnancy, and other taboo topics Learn when to walk away Image from: chicprofile.com #3 Be Strong

6. Question the dynamics of your relationships and look for areas in which they could be healthier Does the person you are with value and love the you that you love? Does the other person (or other people) value things that are important to you? Are you interested in similar things? Can you respectfully disagree? Can you resolve problems and compromise? Image from: valenciaray.com #4 Be Realistic About Compatibility

7. Be open to trying new things Bring new experiences to your life and relationships in order to enrich your life and love Be encouraging and outgoing Push yourself to know yourself and explore new ways of being in the world Challenge yourself Have Fun and enjoy Image from Image from:whatawaytogomovie.com #5 Be Adventurous

8. Try your best to be understanding and kind (with yourself and others!) -Be nurturing, comforting, and protective Be forgiving and accepting Leave room for multiple truths Make effort to not be judgmental and critical in unproductive ways Treat yourself how you would treat someone you love Image from: Kingsdaughter.net #6 Be Compassionate

9. Have realistic expectations Ask for outside advice from someone you trust Step outside of your relationships mentally in order to gain new insights Remember that no one is perfect Live in the present, not in the past What would you tell a friend if they were in your situation? Image from dsara.blogspot.com #7 Keep Perspective

10. Voice genuine compliments • Make a point to validate what others are experiencing and engage with other perspectives • Appreciate when other people are respectful of you by always being respectful of them • Acknowledge different ideas and attempts to solve problems • Life is short, so appreciate your time spent with others and yourself #8 Appreciate

11. Learn to trust yourself and your own judgment • Be reliable, open and honest • Do not be manipulative and/or demeaning • Strive to embody confidence and balance • Be respectful of the values and boundaries of others • Include other people in your life • Share your time and experiences with special people who care about you #9 Trust

12. Image from:workchron.com Trust takes practice!

13. Image from: usualerror.com

14. Be honest and direct • Make your boundaries known • Use “I” statements such as “I feel angry when…” instead of “you make me angry…” • Mean what you say and say what you mean • Try to be calm and bring clarity • Be attentive and practice engaged listening skills #10 Communicate