How to create trusted connection
Are you going through something challenging right now? Does your load feel heavy? One thing is for sure—you aren’t alone! But sometimes it really feels like we are.
As we have spent the last few months focused on peace and how to get more of it, we can’t forget to talk about one of the most powerful tools we have access to: each other! Isolation can feel safer or more comfortable, especially when we are going through hard things, but our connections with each other can actually be a huge source of peace, hope, and joy in our lives.
The heaviest things we will ever carry are the ones we try to carry alone. Have you ever experienced the immediate relief that comes from sharing with someone what you are going through? It can instantly transform the seemingly impossible into something with a little hope.
We have access to the constant companionship of the Divine, and WE play an integral part of in this for others!
“And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.” Mosiah 2:17
God trusts us to show up for each other, it’s time we trust ourselves! It’s time we trust each other.
So how do we do it? How do we come to rely on connection as a conduit to peace? This will help!
Feel Better in 5! How to create trusted connection with each other
Respond with love rather than judgment.
President Nelson taught that people going through hard things don’t need our judgment, they need the healing love of Christ—and we can be a place that reflects that love for them.
Avoid unhelpful platitudes.
It can be tempting to want to force a bright side to every situation, but sometimes people need time. Even when genuine, it can feel dismissive when someone looks beyond the present pain to a future resolution yet to come.
Don’t wait to be invited.
Reaching out goes both ways and we need to practice both! Let’s make an effort to reach out to someone we sense is struggling, even if it feels uncomfortable. And? When we are struggling let’s practice having the courage to ask for support—as many times as it takes.
Assume the best.
When we know someone is rooting for us it’s easier to share what we are carrying without as much shame and fear. We can be that person for someone else! We are all human and we are all trying.
Have a little faith.
God has trusted us to be tools to help one another—trust that He will guide us through how to do it! As we show up willing to do His work and share His love, our efforts will be magnified. Let’s try to believe in each other, in ourselves, and in God’s power in our daily lives a little bit more.
When we have experienced betrayal or rejection or any other hard thing when seeking connection in the past, it can be easy to convince ourselves we are better off handling life alone. But that’s not possible—and it’s not what God wants for us! Let’s have the courage to try again! To reach out! To receive the love that surrounds us. Let’s prioritize connection and look for the peace that follows.