It’s said that communication is key to a healthy relationship. This doesn’t necessarily mean it’s always easy, however. Expressing yourself clearly to your partner can be challenging and it’s tempting to let emotions get in the way. If you aim to focus on positive feelings of understanding, tolerance, and patience, it is possible to improve the situation. Over time, you will each learn to be better listeners and live together in harmony. Here are five ways to improve communication in your relationship.
Be an active listener
Although you may have a lot going on, passive listening is a dangerous habit. When your partner wants to talk, it’s important to stop what you’re doing and actively listen. If you make the effort, hopefully, they will do the same in return. Remember that it’s a two-way street and to make time for your partner’s opinions and concerns. Share with each other the story of your day, and take turns to really listen.
Don’t jump to conclusions
Often the problem when emotions are running high, a lack of patience can often cause fights. If your partner disappoints you somehow, it’s easy to let loose with a knee-jerk angry reaction. This won’t give them time to explain, however. Try to be more patient before jumping to conclusions and give them the opportunity to apologize. If you perhaps haven’t heard from your partner on the phone all day, wait for them to explain as well before imagining the worst.
Express your needs
If you don’t clearly express your needs, how can you expect your partner to meet them? It’s actually said that expectations need to be communicated and this improves communication overall. If you don’t give your partner information on how you want to be cared for, and vice versa, you might place unrealistic expectations on each other. Healthy communication in a relationship means being able to express your needs without fear.
Get to the root of the problem
If communication has started to deteriorate in your relationship, this could be due to a number of reasons. Work together to get to the root of the problem. Perhaps one of you is under a lot of pressure at work or has family issues. There could even be underlying health conditions creating a problem. In older couples, loss of hearing can commonly affect their conversation. It’s important to be available to your partner in helping them resolve the problem. Help them choose a hearing aid, or attend doctors’ appointments together.
Don’t force it
It needs to get to the point where healthy communication comes naturally, so don’t force it. Sometimes it’s important to stop over-communicating and give each other a break. You should also be concise and clear when explaining yourself, just as you would be with your colleagues. Otherwise, things could get out of hand and there may be misunderstandings. Always try to maintain a calm and positive attitude and allow improvements to take time. This will help you reach a point of mutual understanding.
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