Communication

Communication is key in any relationship, whether it is with your partner, family members, friends or colleagues. To communicate the right way is essential.

Always take into account the other person's feelings when communicating and show empathy, openness and active listening skills.

Try to put yourself in people's shoes in order to understand where they are coming from.

Sometimes a change in perspective changes the whole situation.

When people are in front of you, it is easier to pick up on their non verbal cues to assess their emotions. But when you communicate with people who are not there, especially these days during the confinement time, it is quite challenging.

It is therefore crucial to keep the connexion alive with your loved ones through video calls, random calls during the day just to say hello, exchange of pictures of your daily activities such as baking, watching movies together at the same time, playing games, listening to the same music or having online parties together. Be creative, try to find new ways to connect and get closer.

When you are dealing with introvert or emotionally unavailable people, things can get a bit more trickier. You will start noticing that having deep conversations are difficult as they are not in tune with their emotions. Sometimes they have gone through some though times and therefore have difficulties talking about other things than daily activities or topics they master. When you start talking about feelings or emotions, you won't get a clear response and in most cases, the person will avoid talking about it or change the topic.

In these cases, you will need to show a lot of patience and create a safe space where they can express themselves freely. When you sense that people are not ready to express their feelings, understand that and give them time to open up and come back to you.

Take advantage of being at home these days for self-reflection. Maybe it is time to reevaluate your way of communicating.

Love

A.