You just scheduled your appointment with thrivemdclinic.com, and you haven’t heard from your partner all day. You’ve noticed lately that the communication seems to be off. We’re here to help – here’s some advice on healthy communication with your partner.
Be Open-Minded
You and your partner both deserve to have someone open-minded when it comes to communication. While there is no doubt that we all think and feel in different ways, it’s important to acknowledge this when we’re having conversations with our significant other. Try not to immediately shut them down if they bring something up. Instead, listen to try and learn more about them and understand their perspective.
Take a Breather if You Need It
If you find that you are immediately reactive when you’re feeling a little stressed, it’s important that you take a timeout before communicating with your partner. This isn’t to be confused with stonewalling, which is more about being indifferent, it’s about protecting you and your partner from saying things you don’t mean in the heat of the moment. Express to your partner that you want a few minutes to calm yourself before continuing the conversation if you find yourself upset.
Be Honest and Transparent
It’s no surprise that honesty is important when communicating with your partner. However, many times people think that “small lies” are okay as long as it doesn’t directly hurt or impact your partner. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case. You want a relationship that is safe for both you and your partner, and this means that you will always remain honest and transparent with them. In turn, this will help them to trust and feel comfortable with you. This is vital when you want your partner to communicate openly with you.
Compassionate Listening
We live in a time when it’s hard to get a word in. Everyone is always trying to get out what they want to say. Yet, it’s important in a relationship that you practice compassionate listening. In all honesty, you should do this with every relationship or conversation you have. Compassionate listening means you are listening to your significant other without waiting for your turn to speak. You don’t rush them or wait for them to be done. Instead, you listen with your heart to hear what they have to say.
Respect is Key
Respect is key for healthy communication in a relationship. If you or your partner don’t feel respected by the other, you can bet this will lead to some intense and heated arguments. Keep in mind, you and your significant other are a team. In order to get respect, you must also give it. This means don’t interrupt, don’t belittle, and certainly don’t invalidate your partner’s feelings when they bring them up.
The Rundown
Relationships are built on the foundation of healthy communication. If you find that you and your significant other can’t seem to see eye-to-eye, it’s often an indicator there has been a breakdown of communication along the way. Practice the tips above, but also communicate with your partner – ask them how they feel and how they believe you both could improve as far as communication goes with one another.