I've been going through some rough times lately.</understatement>
One of the problems I've been having is that my wife and I are going through a lot of problems and aren't communicating about things well. We both have a tendency to bottle things up, then when we reach our breaking point, we tend to let it all out. Other times, we try to tell each other what is bothering us, and the other person takes it as a personal attack and gets defensive.
Interestingly, I've seen the same sort of thing going on in some of these forums also.
What are some ways that people can communicate better? Both in terms of getting your point across effectively, and in terms of understanding the other person without taking it personally. Is it possible for one person to improve communications even if the other person does not change?
One of the problems I've been having is that my wife and I are going through a lot of problems and aren't communicating about things well. We both have a tendency to bottle things up, then when we reach our breaking point, we tend to let it all out. Other times, we try to tell each other what is bothering us, and the other person takes it as a personal attack and gets defensive.
Interestingly, I've seen the same sort of thing going on in some of these forums also.
What are some ways that people can communicate better? Both in terms of getting your point across effectively, and in terms of understanding the other person without taking it personally. Is it possible for one person to improve communications even if the other person does not change?