Our Top Two Pearls Of Advice
Learn to be a good listener. Men and women approach problem solving in very different ways. Men usually put on their “fix it hat” almost immediately and head right for the solution. Women don’t want advice — at least not right away. Being able to talk about whatever happened is therapeutic for them. When a man jumps right into how to fix the problem, a woman feels like she is not being heard. That quickly leads to hurt feelings and often anger. Just listening to what she has to say will go a long way toward actually fixing it.
Learn how to turn conflict into a gift. Most of us are so conflict averse we would rather do almost anything to avoid walking directly into the difference. But the feelings that arise from whatever situation created the conflict don’t just go away. They fester and usually pop out unexpectedly at another time often in harmful ways. When two people can calmly and lovingly talk about what happened and reach a mutually satisfying resolution, they will find that their connection to each other deepens and they grow closer together. The key to turning conflict into a gift is to push the pause button when the conflict arises and let your emotions settle down a bit before trying to talk about it.
Bill and Marianne Oehser are Certified Relationship Coaches who help individuals and couples realize the full potential of their relationships. Check out their website between2hearts.com.