Communication 101: within Relationships

Jezebel
6 min readMar 29, 2021
Photo by Yuya Hata on Unsplash

Being a mental health clinician during the daytime affords me the opportunity to gather much data about other’s relationships. I work with couples and individuals alike, a lot having to do about communication.

We all have our preferences about the way someone expresses their emotions and thoughts towards us. We reflect that tone back to the other person. Often, if the dialog is fraught with emotion, it will not be received well by the other person.

Every one of us has their unique style of communication. Sarcastic, authoritative, whining, screaming, dismissive, and empathically. It is important to figure which one is preferred or expected from others, whether it be work, family, community, or love relationships. You may even have to adapt your style for each interaction in any of these domains.

When emotional currency is present in an interaction with another person, it is the other person whose response will direct the flow of the conversation, either negatively or positively. If your partner or friend reacts in a way that seems out of proportion, you probably hit a nerve without trying.

What you do next is imperative. Fall on the sword! Why?? Because you need intel to figure out what they heard you say!

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Jezebel

Jezebel is a psychotherapist who lives and works passionately. Life is a journey worth sharing our musings for others to enjoy.