By committing to building a more effective relationship with your partner, you can strengthen your shared bond over time. Many couples struggle to work together as their relationship moves forward, leading to a breakdown in communication and later to feelings of resentment. By focusing on improving your relationship, as a couple, you can begin to achieve a sense of harmony over time. In this post, we’ll provide our five steps to a better relationship.
1. Slow Down When Communicating
It can take just one crossed word to cause a significant breakdown within a relationship. You can work to prevent this issue by slowing down when you talk to your partner. When you slow down while speaking with one another, you can ensure that all crucial information is heard and taken into consideration. You can also defuse potentially volatile conversations that become difficult due to a quick reactive word said in anger rather than with forethought.
2. Consider Your Partner’s Perspective
Your partner is not the enemy to be defeated when communicating. Try to understand their point of view when you’re having a discussion. Try to find out why their view differs from yours on the subject being discussed, and be open to their opinion rather than focusing on an attempt to align their thinking with your opinion.
3. Learn Your Emotional Triggers
We all bring a certain amount of “baggage” into a relationship. This emotional carry-on can begin to impact our current relationships if we allow it and don’t recognize the trigger for the emotion. Communicate the issue with your partner. When you feel a certain emotion has been triggered, tell your partner how it makes you feel when they take that approach. This will help ensure they’re more understanding and will help you to communicate more effectively as a couple.
4. Discover How to Anticipate Issues Before They Become Insurmountable
Each breaking point in a relationship begins with a particular problem. This often stems from simply not tackling a smaller problem at an earlier point. It’s important to raise issues at the earliest available opportunity to ensure your partner is aware and to give you both time to communicate with each other. A good habit to get into is having regular “check-ins” with the other person to see how they’re feeling and to ensure you both have the opportunity to address any concerns.
5. Concentrate on the Present
One mistake many couples make is working together on an important goal without considering their current position. Couples often drift apart day-by-day, despite seemingly working toward a common objective. Remember to take the time each day to appreciate your partner and speak to them about what’s happening in your day-to-day life. Simply sharing a recent article that you read or discussing a conversation you had at work can be an excellent way to build a long-term reciprocal communication channel with your partner.
By following the five steps in this article, and taking a more active role in your relationship, you can safeguard your future with your partner. To learn more about this subject, contact us today at 202-641-5335.
