It might sound like a cliche, but communication is the key to a healthy relationship. When you communicate with your partner, you are letting them in your space and make them believe that they can trust you without a single thought. While communication can take place in any form, it can either lead to a healthy output or make you feel misunderstood as well as isolated.
The fact of the time is that all of our hearts ache for one special connection. However, even if we do connect with someone, the key for that connection to withstand the chorus of our tangled lives, is a healthy communication which, let’s be honest, not every man knows how to do. The truth is that men and women see communication in a different manner, and while women perceive it as a form of bonding, men believe that unless and until they can’t say something new, informative, practical as well as logical, they will stay mum.
However, with time, men can understand what real communication means and how to go about it. Communication isn’t just talking, but listening to your partner as well, in order to have a healthy relationship. Let’s have a look at a few tips for communicating better in a relationship with your partner:
Be Honest and Open
If you didn’t like the way your partner behaved in front of your mother, tell them honestly. Honesty is the foundation of every relationship, so walking out of a fight is not going to give any permanent solution. While you can retreat from a fight as it seems safe and comfortable, it won’t be an alternative for the trust in your relationship and won’t help you learn how to communicate better with your partner.
You need to understand that when you disagree with your partner, you should still respect their opinions as only then will they respect yours. If you, or both, you and your partner start burying their emotions to please each other, it will only last for a brief period of time.
Along with that, it will take away the happiness as well as the intimacy that the both of you shared and soon there will be no relationship between both of you.
Ask Open Ended Questions
When you communicate with your partner, it is not just to ask the basic questions for which they can reply in monosyllables. You need to know them much more; their deep darkest secrets, their dreams and aspirations. However, there has to be a beginning. So start by asking them open-ended questions, such as ‘How was their day?’ instead of asking them ‘If their day was good?’ It will trigger them to open up more and they will let you in their personal space.
Everyone has set boundaries when it comes to sharing information, however, when they start trusting you more and more, they will certainly spill the beans and let you in their life gradually. Soon, you will get to know them at a deeper level, where they will be telling you everything that happened at work and more.
Listen
If your partner is just waiting for their turn to speak while talking to you, you are not letting them communicate at all. The main part of communication is listening and not talking which many men miss out on. While communicating to your partner, listen to them and understand what they are trying to say. What if their needs aren’t being met? What if they are unhappy in the relationship? You need to listen and understand their problems first and then answer if required.
Many men believe that they need to snap back as soon as their partner is done speaking. And those are the men who lose the best relationship of their lives. If you are hearing to just respond and not listening to understand, you will miss out on what your partner is trying to tell you and that is an important factor of a healthy relationship.
Communicate In Person
In the world of social media, it is really easy to talk over texts or calls, however, communicating in person is the need of the hour. Sitting across your partners and chatting with them is much more needed than virtual communication. Half of the time texts are misunderstood and unless you are in a long distance relationship, such modes of communication should be kept at bay.
Talk to them face to face and let them know that you are there for them whenever they need you. Even if you are not happy with them, let your emotions out in front of them and not over a phone call so that they can reach out to you.
Picking Up on the Non Verbal Cues
There will be times when you ask your partner how their day was and they will say it went fine. However, their body language will say something way different. Perhaps their tone might be irritated or they might be fidgeting. This is where you need to pick on these non verbal cues and let them know that you are there for them.
They might not yet be ready to communicate about what upset them or why they are angry or irritated, however, they need to know that they can always hold your hand when they need to.
Be Mindful in Your Relationship
When it comes to communicating with your partner, you need to be mindful or present and give your 100% while talking to your partner. At this time, you shouldn’t be checking your texts, mails or anything else and just give your time to your partner. They should know that they have your full attention. Along with that, they should be your number one priority.
Of course, if you are angry or upset over something, it will be hard to give your full attention to your partner, although, that doesn’t mean that you neglect communication in your relationship. However, your relationship needs healthy communication as well which you should surely give it.
Communication is a Two Way Street
When you are communicating with your partner, make sure that it is a two way street. Both of you should talk and listen to each other, rather than just your partner listening to you. Apart from that, do you use ‘I’ and ‘You’ a lot instead of saying ‘We’. Relationship is a partnership in which there is no I and You. There is only We.
As partners playing the blame game will take you nowhere. However, it certainly might end your relationship. Avoid saying ‘I’ or ‘You’ and ensure that you only talk as ‘We’.
Conclusion
Whether you met your partner at a coffee shop, a party, a bar or a dating app, there must have been an instant connection. Something must have clicked and sparks must have flown. It must have felt that they are the right match for you and things must have gone quite smoothly for a while, isn’t it? That’s known as the honeymoon period of a relationship.
As soon as the honeymoon period is over in a relationship, things turn serious and often mundane. Some people even break up because the honeymoon period has gone. However, if your connection is strong and you believe that you and your partner can be together for a lifetime, then communication is the key to your success.
If you feel that there is some sort of distance coming in between you and your partner, talk to them about it. Things can only be sorted if they can be talked about in a relationship. Running away from arguments or making emotional outbursts is not a way of having a healthy relationship.
For some men, communication mostly might be the hardest part to go for in a relationship as they might have been raised in a reserved as well as conservative household. However, if you want to be successful in your relationship and want to be happy in it then communication is the key.
You need to show your partner that you are in the relationship for the long term and want to be with them no matter what happens. And though that can be shown through the most grand gestures, communication is still required on a daily basis, so that they can understand that you are ready to be with them. No matter how many expensive gifts you give them, if you are not making them your priority and giving them your full attention during a conversation, all of that is a complete waste.
Communication is not hard, let alone impossible, so loosen yourself a bit and go to your partner right now and start a meaningful conversation with them. Make them feel that they belong to you and how much they mean to you just by communicating with them.