Relationships

The Life Story Challenge

Overview Video

This discussion will focus on identifying and building positive social connections. In this discussion, each person will have the opportunity to share their vision for their future relationships and what they would like to work on in their current relationships to make that vision a reality.

Pre-Discussion Preparation

We have included the following activities to help you prepare for the discussion: 

  • You may want to read the discussion questions and contemplate your answers to them in preparation for the upcoming conversation with your group members. 

  • Try to come up with at least three statements that answer the question, “What do I want my relationships to look like in the future?” This question is intentionally broad. Every person will have different people who bring meaning and a sense of belonging to their lives, and each person may require different levels of interaction and support from those relationships. If you want additional insight into understanding what you want your future relationships to look like, we have included a few questions that may help: 

    • What do your friendships look like in the future? Would you like them to be as they are now? Or would you want them to be different in some way? 

    • What is the relationship that you would like to have with your family members? Can your current familial relationships be improved in some meaningful way?

    • What is the relationship that you would like to have with your coworkers? Do you feel supported at work? Do you offer others your support and encouragement?

    • What is the relationship that you would like to have with a spouse or partner? How can you strengthen that bond? How can you find more fulfillment in your relationship?

    • What is the relationship that you would like to have with other members of your community? You may want to consider the people in your neighborhood, in your gym classes, and in any other organization you may belong to.

Discussion Questions

Below are a series of questions that may help facilitate your discussion. There is no need to answer every question; instead, feel free to focus on the questions that members of your group seem most excited about.

  • What makes a relationship a “good” relationship?

  • What do you look for in a relationship generally? In a romantic one? In a friendship?  

  • How can you develop greater closeness and trust in your current relationships?

  • What are some strategies you can use to meet new people and develop new relationships?

  • How have your close relationships developed? How did they start and what shared experiences solidified the relationship?

Post-Discussion Activities

Below are two activities that you can complete after the discussion to deepen your learning and to prepare you to write your life story: 

  • Write a paragraph or two describing what your relationships look like in the future. Try to include as many details as you can.

  • Record any important takeaways from both your own thoughts and those shared by others during the discussion.

Overview Video Research

  1. Buettner, D., & Skemp, S. (2016). Blue zones: Lessons from the world’s longest lived. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 10(5), 318–321. http://doi.org/10.1177/1559827617737066

  2. Kamarck T. W., Manuck, S. B., & Jennings, J. R. Social support reduces cardiovascular reactivity to psychological challenge: A laboratory model. Psychosomatic Medicine, 52(1), 42–58. doi: 10.1097/00006842-199001000-00004

  3. Vaillant, G. E., McArthur, C. C., & Block, A. (2010). Grant study of adult development, 1938-2000. Harvard Dataverse, 4. http://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/48WRX9

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