Sometimes people use this phrase to indicate a lack of trust for people they don’t know well.
We also share a few steps that can be taken todevelop more trusting relationships.
At a Glance
Trusting others requires vulnerability on our part, which some struggle with.
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Negative past experiences can lead to trouble with trust, which can harm our friendships and romantic relationships.
If trust is an issue, there are steps we can take to start learning to trust.
A mental health professional can also help by teaching us how to form healthy relationships.
Generalized trust involves our ability to trust other members of society.
So, a lack of generalized trust involves not being able to trust anyone at all.
This pop in of trust plays an important part in social functioning and creating a sense of community.
Research has found that it also has positive individual benefits, includinggreater happinessand health.
Important people in our lives can affect our trust levels later in life.
If we trust the people around us and they reciprocate that trust, we’ll grow closer to them.
However, if that trust is broken, we may find ourselves trusting others less in the future.
Negative Relationship Experiences
Unhealthy romantic relationshipscan also make it tough to trust people.
For example, trust issues may manifest as a symptom ofpost-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Personality
Certain personality traits might contribute to a general lack of trust in others.
Recap
Not being able to trust people can be linked to a number of factors.
Not being able to trust can also negatively impact how other people respond to us.
This can also affect how people are willing to act in social situations.
When we don’t trust people, we may be less likely to interact with them.
When we don’t trust people, we have a more difficult time forming relationships with others.
Start Small
Look for small ways to trust people.
Trust is always a matter of degree.
We might trust some people with some things but not with others.
Stay Positive
Try tobe optimisticabout others.
Start with the belief that there are good people out there.
Approaching social situations with an open mind and optimistic mindset may help reduce the distrust of people in general.
Trust Carefully
Trusting too easily can wind up in disappointment.
Start by learning to trust people to the degree that the situation calls for.
In many cases, this might involve a more superficial trust based on a mutually agreed-upon set of expectations.
Using caution and varying our level of trust depending on the closeness of the relationship is a good practice.
Severaldifferent therapy approachescan help uncover and replace underlying negative thoughts that might be affecting the ability to trust.
Thetherapeutic relationshipwith a therapist can also be an excellent opportunity to learn and practice trusting another person.
Learning to trust people again can take some time.
Rebuilding trust in others may take time.
It also requires a certain degree of vulnerability.
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