You might know that to build a good relationship, both parties must put in the effort. The thing is, you're the only person you can control. You can't alter other people's behavior. What you can do is change your reaction to their actions. It begins with how you treat yourself, which indeed may be your most crucial relationship.

What do you do when your friend feels down? You cheer them up by saying how great they are. Since it's natural to support and encourage our loved ones, there is no difficulty in doing so. Think about relating to yourself with the same love and care. Here, things get complicated. Yet, learning to be your best friend improves your relationships with other people.

Now, we'll show you some techniques you can apply to become your own best friend. Firstly, respect your needs. A common reason for our unhappiness in relationships is our unsatisfied needs. Try to change this situation to make it easier for your partners to meet your needs. What you must do is settle and jot down what you require.

Immerse yourself in your thoughts and try to understand what you want from the relationships. Could it be moral support from your family? Find out where it comes from. Why is it essential to you? Maybe the encouragement of your closest ones helps you feel more confident. Recognizing this, think about how to fulfill this need without outside help. For example, start praising yourself for your achievements, even the smallest ones. Being able to meet your own needs will make you feel much better.

The next thing you should do is to develop calm-centeredness. Doesn't matter how amazing the relationships are – they still tend to get worse due to stress. Sleep deprivation, overwork, pressure – all these things make you take off the rails. As a result, you can easily provoke an unwanted argument. Calm isn't a magic wand to solve your problems in a second. Yet, it will help you to look at things from a different angle and approach them wisely.

Once you go through a stressful situation, relax and breathe deeply. Make sure the duration of exhalation and inhalation coincide. Slow breathing stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which in turn helps us to feel at peace. Deep breathing makes it easier to arrange thoughts and reason before taking any measures.