Five Ways To Effectively Communicate In A Relationship
“Communication is the key to a healthy relationship”,we all have grown up listening to this. But how many of us have effectively implemented this statement in our day to day lives?
Well, I am sure not many. All relationships see ups and downs at certain stages. No relationship is complete without a certain set of conflicts, issues and arguments.
What makes or breaks a relationship is how both partners handle the conflict. We all say that one must communicate their feelings openly and effectively in a relationship to keep it healthy and going.
However, most of us remain unaware of how to communicate effectively, without losing our focus. Most of the fights in a relationship are a result of ineffective communication.
Healthily expressing one’s feelings, being able to listen to the other person when they are doing so and also understanding and absorbing their feelings plays a crucial role in any relationship. We have therefore developed a list to make communication easy and effective in a relationship:
1. FOCUSING ON THE ISSUE AT HAND
It goes without saying that focusing on the problem in front of you remains the top priority in any relationship. What most partners however tend to do is bring up past issues in a fight.
This not only leads to both the partners blaming each other for another set of scenarios but the argument loses its base. The argument at present gets sidelined and the anger begins to accumulate again.
The discussion becomes confusing and toll taking. One must always remember to only keep their focus aligned with what is going on currently and not divert to what has already happened.
2. MAKING CONVERSATIONS A TWO WAY STREET
Many times people around us or those people we are in a relationship with tend to forget that the other person may have significant contributions to make in the relationship.
We all tend to only speak our minds and hearts out and forget to give the same opportunity to the other party. This leads to a breakdown in a relationship at one point in time thus, leading to a conflict.
People should feel that their feelings are heard and respected. A two-way natural flow of conversation can do wonders for any relationship.
3. PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT THE OTHER PERSON HAS TO SAY
Listening is an important part of any conversation. People feel valued when they feel their thoughts, feelings, and emotions being heard.
Usually what people tend to do is react and not reply to what the other person is saying. We tend to form a response whilst the other person speaks or shares their feelings out rather than carefully listening to them by paying attention.
As a result of this, the blame game continues and we do not absorb what the person wants us to. Therefore, listening is one of the most important parts of communicating and should always be paid attention to.
4. MAKING REQUESTS
What we tend to do when in a relationship is expecting the other person to be a mind reader. We expect them to do or say things that keep us happy without even sharing with them what will keep us happy.
We rather let them assume than openly and effectively share what we want out of them. Here the role of making requests (and not demands) comes into play.
It is extremely important to share with your other half what expectations you have out of them or what you would like them to do rather than just dropping small hints every now and then.
5. MAKING TIME TO TALK
This is another aspect of communication people ignore. Setting aside time for yourself and your partner to talk and express what you have been holding onto is crucial. It does not take much for two adults to list down their feelings and expectations in a relationship. This small but effective part of communication gets unnoticed and ignored several times but the “talk” time is very important to build a loving and healthy relationship in the long run.
