A woman shares how avoiding hard conversations with her ex-husband left problems unresolved. She offers three steps: name your specific fear, trace where it came from, and practice speaking up on small things first to build the skill.
Don't make the same mistake I did, which was not to talk openly with my ex-husband about what was going on in the relationship. I used to give my partner the silent treatment. I would clam up, I would play ostrich and hope that the problem would resolve itself, which it did, not in the way that I wanted. Pushing through the fear will help you to stand up for yourself and ask for what you want. I want to share 3 ideas to get you started. Understand what you're afraid of. Is it rejection, judgment, conflict? Get clear on where the fear is coming from. If one of your parents was a yeller, that could explain your fear. And the last one is to practice open communication by talking about small things, things that are not so emotionally charged, so that you can start to develop the muscle of speaking openly to your partner. And if you like this type of content, follow me for more ideas on nurturing strong relationships.
