subject: A 3 Part Plan To Improve Your Communication In Marriage [print this page] A 3 Part Plan To Improve Your Communication In Marriage
You really need to have good communication as the foundation for any healthy happy marriage. If you do not have good communication, all you are essentially doing is sharing the same last name, using the same mailing address and filing a joint income tax. But when you have good communication between both your spouse and you, you are opening up your marriage to create a bond that is twice as solid, making you feel closer and more in tune with each other.
In the beginning of your marriage you will find that there is most always something to talk about and you take the time to make sure that conversations flow well between the two of you. But the longer you are married, the more you start to do your own things, spend too much time working, or forget to spend time and share with your spouse. This causes distance to grow between you and then problems begin.
In this article I'm going to show you 3 ways to get the good communication flowing between the two of you again.
1. Don't try to aim for perfection. Good communication does not require you to spend long, intimate or deep talks when you do not feel you have the time. Thinking this way may cause you to never start anything unless you are in the right mood for it or have nothing to do. Instead of thinking with that mindset, just try taking five minutes to talk about nothing too important. This will get you started. You will soon see that these short little talks will turn into longer, deeper talks just like you hoped for.
2. As funny as it may sound, you need to talk more with your ears than with your mouth. What this means is try to listen more that talk. If your spouse is not a big talker, then make sure that whenever they do talk that you let them finish what they are attempting to say before you open your mouth. Do not try to get the last laugh or say something to make what you have to say sound more important. Just try laughing at the joke. This will encourage them to talk more knowing that they are being heard and not being talked over like what they have to say doesn't matter.
3. Start going somewhere new OUTSIDE of the house. Changing your surroundings may motivate you both to start talking more. Often times when you just stay home, you can be watching t.v. And only half listening to what your spouse is saying, or just not talk at all. Changing your location will enable you to break your bad habits and help you to focus more on each other. Staying in the same place can just cause you to stay inert and doing what you have always done.
If you desire to stay close in your marriage and have a healthy relationship, you must learn to practice good communication. If you feel as if your conversations are getting fewer and farther between, then just start talking about anything to open the lines of communication. Once you are talking, remember to listen to your spouse while they speak, and try going out for dinner once a week or so just to get out of the house and have a change of environment.
It does take a committed effort to get back into the mode of talking to your spouse on a regular basis but it will be well worth the time you invest even if it is only five minutes at a time.
