Am I ready to discuss my relationship? Pick a day where your emotions are calm
It is easy to get caught up in the demands of life to find we are living our lives narrowly focusing on work or home, and we forget or neglect ourselves and our relationships. Don't allow the daily grind to become the focus to the exclusion of your relationship with your partner.
Through continued communication, commitment and loyalty we can tackle the ups and downs of our relationship together. Learning from each other as well as developing good communication skills together (e.g., good listening skills; constructive ways of handling conflict) can revitalise and enrich our relationships, and can ensure our relationships are sustained and endure.
However there are times when good communication can thrive and others when they do not. Consider these and when discussing deep and/or emotive issues, ensure you can both confidently answer: Yes. We are ready to discuss.
We have provided some thoughts to consider:
Check yourself
Emotionally:
What kind of day did you have?
Have your emotions been fairly neutral?
Have you experienced any high levels of sadness, anger, or joy?
We recommend discussing your relationship on days where your emotions are calm. If you decide you are ready to move forward with reviewing your relationship and working through various issues —great. If you decide you need to make some adjustments before discussing – that’s good too! The goal is to get talking to your partner, even if that conversation doesn’t happen right away.
Marriage and Relationship Education is a learning opportunity, much like you would do in any other important life event. Check out the video for couples on YouTube: https://youtu.be/xyuUl-JnIhM.
Tune in next week for more discussion about relationships and mental health.
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Written by Shane Smith