Managing Social Interactions with Family and Friends

When feeling sick, interacting with family and friends can be hard. Early symptoms of rheumatic disease can be dismissed by family members. This can cause frustration and even anger. Sometimes as symptoms progress, family members can seem overbearing. This can put strain on the relationship. Striking a balance can be difficult and stressful. However, working on interactions with others may lead to improvements in quality of life.

Mindfulness can be a very important tool to learn compassion for yourself and others. When harboring negative emotions towards family members and friends, mindfulness meditation can be a way to let go of these feels. The loving kindness meditation focuses on sending well wishes to those with whom you have easy or difficult relationships. Opening your heart, even when you might not be feeling well, takes practice. Sending positive thoughts to yourself and others can be highly effective for managing the stresses of social interactions.