Relationships have their ups and downs and
arguments are bound to ensue. Learning to keep your emotions in check and
remaining calm can turn a heated squabble into a civil disagreement where the
two will reach a compromise. You can apologize but you cannot take back
something you said during an argument. You will agree with me that every man
craves for a feeling of importance and everyone wants their opinion heard
regardless of what other people say.
Now the question is why do we argue or why do
we feel the need to argue?
When people yell, slam the door, walk out on
each other, feel attacked or devalued, they react and most times, it’s hard to
recall why they went into an argument. It could be something so trivial, a
certain body posture or a tone of voice. And in a split of second they pick up on
a message and simply raise the roof or react. Unfortunately, your own response
to the threat you perceive coming from your partner, drives him or her
crazy. Whether you say something hurtful or flee the battlefield, whether
you leave your partner, feeling abandoned argument is bound to ensue with that
attitude.
It takes a lot of time, practice and more often
than not professional guidance to teach your brain new ways of responding.
I have put together 9 best ways to avoid arguments:
1. Share what bothers you with your partner
effectively
2. Get to know him/her better in the light of
their history, so you can change the vicious cycle of your interactions together.
3. Your natural reactions as immediately wanting
you to fix a problem, withdrawing or becoming emotionally reactive can be
unlearned.
"If you’re arguing with someone for more than
5minutes chances are it’s not about them but about you".
4. Recognize when a discussion is no longer a
discussion but is escalating to an argument. You may have to walk away for a
few minutes and take several deep breaths to calm yourself down. Avoid raising
voices and feeling defensive. A good mutual discussion involves both sides
listening and attempting to understand each other.
5. Keep the conversation focused on resolving the
conflict. Avoid personal attacks and not hurting each other further with
insults. Do not bring up stuffs from the past because you may never resolve
the boiling issue at hand.