For some people, their relationship with a brother or sister is their longest-lasting family tie. As such, you may want to hold onto this special bond for as long as possible. After all, you could still share even more precious moments with your siblings.

However, you may have experienced a feeling of growing apart from your brother or sister. While various factors can explain the feeling, the only way to keep hold of your bond is to work with your siblings on how to improve relations going forward.

Even for those who have great relationships with their siblings, there are always various ways to improve the relationship dynamic. You could work together on building a tent to bond while spending time outdoors, for example, or find other tasks that you can bond over.

Improving your relationships starts with one simple step. Visiting BetterHelp can help you get started along with reading about the following ways to help maintain a healthy relationship with your sibling.

How to Maintain Sibling Relationships into Adulthood

Share your goals

If you have been distant from your sibling, sharing goals can help you reconnect with them. By learning their goals, you may learn more about their dreams and ambitions.

Also, you could share your own goals. You could find a common goal between the two of you, and work together to achieve it. Some can include:

Traveling
Going back to school
Making a passion into a dream job
Exercising

Goals reflect who we are as individuals. When you hear of your sibling’s goal, support them all the way. In doing so, they may also recognize your passions and try their best to help you whenever they can.

Listen to your sibling

Secondly, you may compare yourselves with a sibling and get the wrong impression. Your brother or sister may excel in a subject over you, such as sports or socializing. These comparisons serve to distract you from bonding with your sibling.

Additionally, each person experiences life differently. They meet different people, experience various situations, and make decisions only they can make. So, instead of comparing yourselves, talk about the choices you made in your life.

Furthermore, you could also think about some of the following questions when you converse with your sibling:

How have your choices shaped you?
How did our family dynamics form you?
What aspects of our life do we have in common?

Each individual leads a life that can fill a book. And, every person’s life will have different lessons they’ve learned from the people they have met and the struggles they’ve endured. As such, you will learn so much about your sibling by listening to their story rather than comparing yourself to them.

Be appreciative

Along with listening to your sibling, verbalizing your appreciation of their best qualities is one of the kindest acts you can make. Regardless of what you may have said in the past that strained your relationship, a single act of kindness, such as thanking them for talking with you, is a small step toward maintaining your relationship.

You can meet a hundred different people throughout your life, but not one of them may know you as well as your sibling, because they may have spent your whole life with you.

Also, talk with them about what you are both grateful for. No person is an island as each of our lives is interwoven with so many other people, such as loved ones or even random strangers. Some people you may give thanks to can include:

Parents
Grandparents
Relatives, such as a cousin or aunt
Friends, even those who you only know for a short while
Supportive coworkers
Your siblings

You can learn more from your sibling by learning about who helped them throughout their life. Of course, you might not have intimate conversations with your sibling all the time. You can try the next day, and take your time in slowly getting comfortable with each other again.

Opening up is difficult and some may prefer to keep their lives private, even from family. However, if you show your sibling that you are taking an interest in their life, then they can show you the same kindness.

Try not to lapse into previous childhood roles

Lastly, it might be difficult to break out of childhood roles. When you were younger, you may have seen your brother as uptight, while he may have seen you as clumsy and irresponsible. But, both you and your sibling have grown considerably since you were children.

Thus, you are capable of looking back at who you were, learning from your mistakes, and becoming better.

You can avoid falling back into childhood roles by constantly improving yourself with encouragement from your siblings and other loved ones. By cooperating with your sibling, you can enhance your relationship, and strive for a better tomorrow.

Looking forward

Ultimately, maintaining your sibling relationships is about looking forward. It is important to understand the past and glean key information that you can use in the present to adjust your behavior.

Most importantly, do not give up on maintaining your relationship with your brother or sister. Be grateful for all the time you spend with one another, and try to laugh as much as you can. Joy is a wonderful medicine, and being with your loved ones can relieve any amount of stress you feel about your life.

Marie Miguel Biography

Marie Miguel has been a writing and research expert for nearly a decade, covering a variety of health-
related topics. Currently, she is contributing to the expansion and growth of a free online mental health
resource with BetterHelp.com. With an interest and dedication to addressing stigmas associated with
mental health, she continues to specifically target subjects related to anxiety and depression.