Relationship Problems? Don’t Worry, They’ll Pass
It is no secret that every person will suffer from some type relationship problem at least a few times in his or her lives. It is important to understand that some relationships are by choice or by necessity and some are with your family.
A relationship problem will exist due to the nature of two different persons, each having their own expectations of the relationship and must have a willingness to participate equally in the pairing. However, if one person is overly giving and the other overly selfish no issues may arise until one or the other changes their expectations and then a relationship problem will develop.
Ideally, to stave off a relationship problem, one person must be able to see and explain what they see as a problem and suggest ways to eliminate it. By being willing to see the other person’s perspective and accept it, there is not a relationship problem that cannot be worked out. One good suggestion is to attack the problem instead of the person. That way you can work through the problem instead of putting the other person instantly on the defensive.
For example, if one person continually leaves their dirty clothes all over the house, instead of seeming to attack by talking about how they are too lazy to pick up after themselves, explain the problem of the clothes making the house look un-kept and ask how you can make sure they have the time to not leave them lying around. This may seem a small issue, but over time can build into a severe relationship problem.
When addressing your partner about a relationship problem avoid starting a sentence with the word you. This can quickly draw out the fight-or-flight instinct and your partner may tune you out completely or a major fight will ensue. This will do nothing to eliminate the current relationship problem and may open a new one.