Relationships

Our relationships with other people are important for our mental health. Having good relationships with your family and friends can boost your mood and support you when you go through difficult times.

If you don’t have many close relationships, or if an important relationship in your life ends, it can feel lonely. If your relationships are negative, abusive or involve violence this can make you feel unsafe, scared and sad.

Everyone has disagreements or says hurtful things now and then, but if a relationship is healthy, most of the time the other person should make you feel less alone and like you are someone who deserves to be cared about.

How can I change my relationships?

It is never too late to make new friends, to try and mend relationships you already have, or to escape from dangerous or unhealthy relationships.

If you are struggling with loneliness and you are finding it hard to meet people, try our loneliness and social isolation page.

If you are having difficulties in a relationship with someone you love, couples therapy or family therapy can help. Sexual difficulties can also be an important part of your relationship with your partner, talking about this in therapy together can help. Take a look at our Get Help Now section further down on this page for information about getting support.

Sometimes it can be difficult to build relationships with other people and to trust them. There are lots of reasons why relationships might be hard for you and it is ok to ask for help:

• You might have autism or a learning disability which means that it can be difficult to understand other people and learn how to talk to them.
• In the past, you might have been harmed or hurt by someone you trust and that can make it difficult to trust other people.
• You might be struggling with a mood difficulty like anxiety, anger or depression that makes it difficult to open up to other people.
• You might feel different or unsure of yourself and find it hard to connect with other people.

What can I do if I think my relationship might be abusive?

If a friend, partner or family member is violent or abusive towards you, it is important to ask for help.

Sometimes it can be hard to recognise when someone is being abusive to you, and even harder to talk about, but try to remember that you’re not alone and there is support available for you. Take a look at the support links in the ‘get help now’ section below.

There are different types of abuse in close relationships:

• Physical abuse – being physically hurt, including being restrained.
• Psychological or emotional abuse – being regularly ignored, criticised or humiliated. This also includes coercive control.
• Neglect – not looking after your medical, emotional or physical needs.
• Sexual abuse – any type of sexual activity that you do not agree to willingly.
• Financial abuse – including controlling your money, theft, and fraud.

If you are thinking of leaving a relationship with an abusive or violent partner, don’t try to do it alone, find support in our ‘get help now’ section below.  Leaving can be scary, but with support you can be free. You deserve to be free.