A woman describes how the silent treatment backfired in her marriage, leaving both partners frustrated and unable to express their real feelings. In her current relationship, open communication and mutual trust have changed everything about how they handle conflict.
I used to give my former husband the silent treatment, and if I'm being honest, it was frustrating for both of us. Frustrating for him because he didn't know how to engage, and that only drove us further apart, but also for me because I wasn't communicating my feelings, my needs, my wants effectively, and I was also fearful of being either dismissed or diminished. In my new relationship, it's been a complete game changer because we talk about everything and anything, but that's only because we've created a space for each other where we can show up and be open, be transparent. We don't take things personally. We know we have each other's best interest at heart, and we're not afraid that our words are going to be used against us. So your mission this week, should you choose to accept it, is to go back and take a look at your own communication style and see where maybe you might be able to tweak some things.
