If you’re already feeling anxious in a relationship, then communicating in a cold or defensive way adds to that anxiety, which compounds the problem. And when one of the partners needs to feel safer and more assured but senses they’re being pushed away, they may withdraw and shut down. Repeating these behavioral patterns is divisive and triggers poor communication in relationships. The pandemic dramatically heightened and exacerbated these issues. The increased time couples spent together forced them to assess their relationships more closely. In turn, those who honestly faced what did or didn’t work benefited by utilizing the chance to improve the areas they felt posed challenges. Here are the five techniques you can practice to better cope and improve communication effectiveness in your relationship: The idea is to develop a shared safe space that’s based on mutually agreed upon, nonjudgmental understanding and vulnerability. It must be a transparent, shared, private universe where you share secrets that you wouldn’t tell others. By doing this, you will create healthy reciprocity and a loving language that maintains mutual respect in your relationship. Instead, thoughtfully communicate what’s bothering you. Your partner will react better if you let them know exactly what you’re thinking instead of what you assume they’re thinking. Remember to use complementary and encouraging words to express your respect for acts of service by your partner so they realize you’re aware they love and support you. Invite them onto your island, and let them know they’re always part of your team. Make each other feel special and not replaceable. To make the most of date nights, decide in advance if there are topics for your date that you would prefer to discuss or want to avoid. Respect each other’s topic choices. Focus on topics that keep the date romantic, light, and breezy and remind you of why you fell for each other!
