Relationship Coaching Blog Series:
The 7 "Cs" of Developing and Maintaining Healthy Relationships
Part 1 of 7 - Closeness
Many thanks to Carol McGowan of askacoach.com for providing the original content for this series.
This is the first installment of a seven part series on developing and maintaining healthy relationships. There are seven factors we'll explore in this series: Closeness, Connectedness, Chemistry, Cooperation, Communication, Compatibility and Caring.
Today's factor: Closeness
This does not just mean physically or geographically. This means that there is something in your relationship that enables you to be close. This is usually evident because you feel free and safe to talk about anything and everything that may be of concern to you.
This relates to the levels of intimacy allowed in the relationship. If it is your life partner of course it will involve sexual intimacy at some level and/or manner, however for other relationships the other forms of intimacy are also important. For example, emotional, intellectual and spiritual.
The level of closeness achieved will be determined by the nature, need and importance of the particular relationship you're involved in. They can also be influenced by your age, circumstances and experiences. The mix in each relationship you establish will be different and each one is likely to fulfill a different need that you may have in your life.
Coaching Exercises
1. What does "closeness" mean to you?
2. For your various relationships, how do you define the intimate nature of it? Every relationship is different and every relationship has the potential for a unique type of intimacy, so please consider this carefully.
3. If you feel there isn't the closeness and/or intimacy factor happening in any particular relationship, have you discussed this with the other person? Will you discuss it? What do you need to do to prepare yourself for that conversation? Are you willing to be open to hearing what the other person has to say?
4. You may already have some awareness about an action to take to bring about a positive change in the relationship regarding closeness. If so, what is that and what specifically are you committing to? What is the other person committing to? If you don't already know, you might discover this after a conversation with the other person. Do you already have an idea of what sort of change might be necessary? How comfortable are you with the idea that you might need to commit to a change; a new behaviour or an action?
As always, if you need any further personal support in response to any of these coaching exercies, please consider using the askacoach.com service.
All the best,
Noel
Noel Posus - Master Coach
www.askacoach.com
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