No matter how good you and your partner are for one another or how much you love each other, conflict is bound to happen. At some point, you'll disagree on something, which can cause conflict, tension, and stress.
But not all conflict has to involve yelling, slamming doors, or breaking up. It's important to approach conflict healthily to manage it better and allow you and your partner to move forward and maintain a healthy relationship.
This is how mindfulness can reduce relationship conflict.
Better Communication
Communication is key in any type of relationship. During conflict, it can be easy to talk over your partner, raise your voice, and appear closed off and defensive. Mindfulness can help you and your partner improve your communication with one another. You'll be more in tune with your words as well as your partner's, your body language, and your tone of voice. Mindfulness can help you and your partner communicate more effectively, especially in times of conflict, and allow each of you to have a better understanding of one another's wants and needs.
Connect Deeper
A lot of anxiety, stress, and conflict can come from past or future events. Mindfulness allows each partner to stay grounded and focused on the present. This can help you connect on a deeper level and truly understand where each partner is at in the moment. You can also practice mindfulness together, which can help create a greater sense of closeness and intimacy.
More Self-Aware
Mindfulness not only can help a relationship, but it can also help each partner connect with themselves on a deeper level and start to understand their thoughts and emotions. Partners who practice mindfulness have a better understanding of their triggers, behaviors, and actions, which can help them break any negative cycles and be better equipped to handle conflict.
Manage Emotions
When involved in a conflict, it can be easy to let your emotions take control. Mindfulness can help prevent this from happening. Mindfulness can help you take a step back, pause, and reflect before responding or saying something you don't actually mean. By doing so, you'll have a better grasp of your own emotions and healthier communication. In turn, that will allow you to take steps forward instead of having to play damage control.
Patience
Today's world is all about moving quickly and getting all of the items checked off of your to-do list. Sometimes it can feel like there aren't enough hours in the day. Mindfulness can help teach individuals to practice patience and truly live in the present moment again. Practicing patience can help you be more present in conversations with your partner so that you are truly working to resolve any communication issues that come up in the future.
Forgiveness
Conflict can cause a lot of disruptions in your relationship, especially if the conflict is left unresolved. If you and your partner aren't willing to talk about the issues causing a wedge in your relationship, the wedge can reach a point where it becomes permanent. In some cases, unresolved conflict can lead to the end of a relationship due to grudges and resentment. Mindfulness can help you and your partner forgive one another to help promote healing and compromise.
Next Steps
If conflict keeps coming up in your relationship, you're not alone. A licensed and trained therapist can help you and your partner get to the root cause of your conflict. Sometimes all it takes is an outside third party's perspective. Plus, therapy helps provide a safe, secure, and neutral environment for you and your partner to discuss any unresolved issues. Reach out to us today to see how a mindfulness-based couples therapy approach may be well-suited for you and your partner.