*Collaborative post.

It is important to communicate effectively in every relationship. Being able to express your thoughts and feelings without getting overly emotional is a superpower that is largely underestimated. Most of the problems in relationships are caused and maintained by poor communication skills.  If you are interested in improving the way you communicate with your significant other, you are reading the right post. Below are some tried and tested communication tips for couples.

5 Communication Tips for Couples

With daily struggles and life adversities, it has now become even more crucial to communicate properly. If you are dealing with highly emotive issues like trying to have a baby, you will need to be able to communicate properly with your partner to avoid confusion and added stress. Here are 5 tips that may help you communicate effectively –

Stay Calm

For you to express yourself properly, you have to ensure you stay calm. If you are having a conversation and things are beginning to escalate, it is best to step away and have the conversation at a later time when you are both less emotionally charged. When both parties are calm, a productive conversation can be had.

Pick the Right Time

It is best to discuss certain sensitive conversations when you are both in a relaxed state. If you are both struggling to conceive and you want to talk about fertility issues and how to go about trying for a baby, for example, you would not want to discuss that when either party is in a bad mood. This is why the best way to ensure communication lines stay open is to stay calm and pick the right time for certain conversations.

Be Gentle

This links in with the first tip of staying calm but it deserves its own slot because it is super important to be gentle. Being gentle as you communicate reminds you to stay calm and keeps the conversation less emotionally charged which helps communication lines stay open.  Having a gentle tone means your partner would feel less attacked which would help the dialogue stay productive. If you are trying to have a baby and becomes overwhelming, you need to remember to be gentle with yourself and with each other, and express your thoughts and feelings in a gentle manner.

Speak Directly

It is always a good idea to communicate directly. Many people struggle in this area because they have grown up communicating with people indirectly and the thought of being direct with anyone scares them. However, if you want to have healthy communication, you need to learn how to speak directly and politely. Once you make a conscious effort to do this, you would find it gradually becomes your default setting, and you would also notice that you no longer feel any kind of resistance when you do speak honestly.

Self-soothing

If you notice that you easily get upset in general, you may benefit from some self-soothing. Conversations are more effective when emotions are balanced. You can self-soothe by having some quality time for yourself, going for a run/walk, reading, soaking yourself in a bathtub, and the like. Focusing on your needs from time to time keeps you balanced enough to communicate with others properly.

How do you ensure you communicate properly in your relationship?