Healthy Communication in Relationships

Conflict can arise in any relationship. Conflict itself is not a problem; it is how we handle conflicts in a relationship. This is where effective communication of feelings comes into place. Communication is much more than just expressing your feelings into words! It is about understanding our own feelings and also being understood exactly the way we want to be.

Here are some suggestions:

Value your own feelings

Many times, individuals apologize for feeling a certain way. You cannot help the way you feel, it is natural to have feelings.  Your emotions have worth to them and if you think otherwise, there will be barriers in being comfortable with expressing how you feel.

Identify your feelings

As soon as you understand that your feelings do matter and that they should be recognized, the next step is for you to identify those feelings. Do you feel joyful, grateful, at ease, content? What about confused, inadequate, discouraged, annoyed? Building a wide range of emotional vocabulary will help you better understand your own feelings and communicate them clearly.

Work out your feelings independently

Once you have identified what you are exactly feeling, you must discover why you feel that way. What is it that made you feel that way? If you could pinpoint the situation or attitude, you then can better explain yourself to your partner.

Believe that your feelings matter to others

If you feel that someone does not value your feelings, you are less likely to communicate with them about that and more likely to keep to yourself. This can cause pent up emotions which could worsen your feelings even more! If your partner does want to talk with you about your feelings, they most likely care about you. If not, then re-evaluate who you are in a relationship with.

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