Personal relationships take hard work. They don't just happen; they require attention. A relationship can become stronger and more satisfying by focusing on your friendship with the other person and learning how to manage your differences.

 

Maintaining a "Strong Friendship"

People often think that being married for a long time, or having a lifelong friend, means little effort and work goes into that relationship. Whether you realize it or not, meaningful relationships require continual attention. Strong friendships are important in our lives, and they are especially important in marriages and intimate relationships. However, keeping a friendship going in a marriage—or with another family member—can sometimes be more difficult and take more time and attention than with a friend. Here are some suggestions:

 

Share everyday happenings with each other.

When you talk to a friend in person, on the phone, or through an e-mail message, you may share and listen to each other about the small details of what's happening in your individual lives and how you are feeling about it. The same thing needs to happen in a marriage and with other family members who are close to you. Couples who have lived together for many years may think they know everything there is to know about the other person. However, people are constantly growing and changing, and their reactions to what is happening around them change, too. Unless that is continually shared, a spouse may have no idea a change in the other partner has occurred.

 

Young couples who have an active and growing family can run into the same problem, thinking they don't have time to share and spend time with their partner. That can be dangerous to a marriage as they may find themselves growing apart and not turning to each other when challenges arise. Having a deep friendship helps people turn toward—rather than away from—a special person during both good and bad times. That is important for long and enduring relationships.

 

Listen attentively.

Sometimes, people have to consciously practice how to communicate with another person with whom they want to build or maintain a good relationship. Listening is often more difficult than talking. What are some ways to truly listen to another person who is speaking? Focus on that person by

1. Maintaining eye contact in a manner which is culturally appropriate for you
2. Leaning forward
3. Making nonverbal gestures like nodding your head
4. Giving simple and positive responses
5. Not interrupting even when you disagree or have something to share
6. Showing positive expressions, such as reaching out and gently touching the other person on the arm in a noninvasive, comfortable, and supportive way.

 

The second part to listening is making sure you understand the message correctly. Simply say to the other person, "Now, let me tell you what I heard you saying, and the feelings you seemed to be expressing. Am I correct?"

 

If not, the speaker can repeat the message with different words until the listener has correctly understood the message and the feelings attached to the message. This is not easy to do if you disagree with the message you heard. It takes patience and determination to hold your opinion until you reverse roles and have the opportunity to be heard.

 

Show fondness and admiration

It is sometimes much easier to criticize and find fault, rather than recognizing positive qualities about the special people in your life, especially family members. For example, maybe you would like your spouse to help with the housework without being asked. So, you complain repeatedly. In most instances, this will not improve the situation.

 

John Gottman, from the University of Washington, studied couples for many years to find out what makes marriages work or end in divorce. He found that expressing fondness, encouragement, and admiration toward each other—often in small and unexpected ways—goes a long way in maintaining strong marital relationships. To use this idea with other important people in your life, it may be as simple as thanking your adult daughter for stopping by to see you or giving her an unexpected hug. Gottman says good relationships are maintained when there are five positive interactions for every one negative interaction, a 5:1 ratio.

 

Managing Differences

What often harms friendship in a marriage or close relationship is having a very severe problem between the two of you that cannot be resolved and does not go away.

 

Here are 10 suggestions for two people who are special to each other, but have a serious disagreement that is threatening their relationship.

1. Bring up tough issues softly. When one person wants to bring up a tough issue, bring it up softly at a time that makes sense and by not accusing the other person. For example, if a married couple is having money problems, bringing up the issue on how they use the credit card while one of them is watching a favorite TV program probably is not the right time.
2. Avoid using the word "you" to blame. People feel defensive when someone brings up a touchy issue by saying something like, "You never want to go on vacation."
3. Use "I" statements to talk about problems. Softly bringing up an issue requires you to say how it affects you without blaming the other person. For example: "When I get no phone calls from you, I feel lonely and sometimes worried because I think maybe I did something to offend you in our last conversation or that something bad has happened to you."
4. Make messages short during disagreements. Address only one issue at a time and don't go on and on. You will lose the opportunity to open a beneficial dialogue if your messages are lengthy and cover multiple issues. Be alert to ways you can soothe each other during a heated conversation, such as a response like, "I see." However, you need to know what is soothing to the other person and what will not cause even more irritation.
5. Be respectful even during conflict. Avoid calling the other person names, being sarcastic, degrading the other person, or bringing up issues of the past as a way to criticize the other person. This behavior is very damaging to a relationship.
6. Agree on rules for difficult discussions. For example, you may need to agree you will not talk about your daughter loaning money to an old friend when the two of you are discussing paying for her computer classes.
7. Suggest a "time-out" to cool down. If you find a discussion is getting out of control, ask the other person for a time-out so both of you can calm down and not say things you may regret later. Be sure to set another time for resuming the dialogue and work at having positive thoughts about the other person, rather than dwelling on the conflict.
8. Calm your body in times of conflict. Think about ways your body reacts to conflict (e.g. tight jaw, racing heart, pounding headache, tight neck muscles). Think of methods that work for you in reducing body stress (e.g. opening and closing jaws, deep breathing, walking, stretching neck muscles). Use the techniques that work for you to get your body calmed down during a conflictual situation. As you are calming down, try to have positive thoughts about the other person and the good times you have had in the past. It takes about 20 minutes for the body to resume a normal heartbeat and pulse rate when it has been stressed out.
9. Be willing to compromise in ways you both can accept. This means you have to listen with an open and honest ear to each other's perspective and feelings about an issue. Compromising, and letting the other person influence you, help to decrease the hurt and pain so the problem doesn't eat away at the relationship. It also helps to develop an understanding and patience with each other's faults.
10. Honor each other's hopes and dreams. Many problems between two people result from conflicting hopes and dreams that have not been thoroughly discussed. Get inside the other person's world by listening when that person is ready to talk. You may not agree with the hopes and dreams the other person has, but showing you are listening attentively may eventually open the door for more discussion. Prying needlessly, or trying to give advice, will shut off the other person's willingness to share. Being interested in each other's hopes and dreams is often hard work.

 

A few last thoughts....

Healthy relationships thrive in an atmosphere where each person feels comfortable in talking honestly and openly about important things. Just as importantly, a satisfying relationship is about creating shared meaning and having a sense of connection to the other person. It is about spending time with the other person and honoring each other's hopes and dreams. Everyday ways of respectfully talking and interacting with each other make a difference, too.

 

Your program is here to help you along the journey of life. No situation is too big or too small. When you and your household members need assistance, reach out anytime and we will help get you on the right path to meet your needs.

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