Misunderstanding in relationships is like a natural phenomenon. You cannot stop it or prevent it but you can manage it.
‘I always have a reason or reasons not to speak to my partner. I am used to having misunderstanding with my partner.
It (misunderstanding in a relationship) is not a big deal. My partner has different behaviors that make me have misunderstanding with him or her. I can’t help having a clash or conflict with my partner. I can’t remember the last time I and my partner do not have a misunderstanding within a week.’ These and many have become the anthem of a lot of people in a relationship. That means that misunderstanding is inevitable in every relationship. Every relationship is going to experience misunderstanding at different points. Having misunderstanding in your relationship does not mean you do not love your partner. It also does not mean your partner does not love you. Relationship experts even opine that misunderstanding could be a sign of true love. This is because of a psychological reason. If your partner does not love you, he or she will rather ignore you instead of speaking up.
What is Misunderstanding?
A misunderstanding is a failure to understand something. It also means a failure that involves not understanding something at all. For instance, there is a misunderstanding in this case. If a person tells you A, but you understand B.
Misunderstanding has a different meaning in the context of relationship. Misunderstanding means conflict in a relationship. It is anything that makes partners argue with each other.
This points our attention to many things. One is that misunderstanding arises from a clash. It is a clash between what a person says and what you understand. Another is that misunderstanding can be natural. And it can be artificial. You may actually not understand something that a person says. In this case, misunderstanding is natural. You may also pretend not to understand though you do. This kind of misunderstanding is artificial.
Why You Should Manage Misunderstanding in your Relationship
You need to manage misunderstanding in your relationship for various reasons. First, it can make your relationship uninteresting. Incessant misunderstanding can also make your partner lose interest in you. It can also lead to serious conflict if you handle it with levity. Misunderstanding also leads to break-up in many relationships. And this has disastrous consequences. It is worse if you love your partner.
No matter how much you love your partner, you will have misunderstanding with them. What is important is for you to learn misunderstanding management. In other words, it is important for you to know how to manage misunderstanding in your relationship. This will help you to maintain your relationship. It will also make you a better half of your partner. Most importantly, it will give you a level of courage to face misunderstanding.
But there is a problem. A lot of people do not know how to manage misunderstanding. They can’t manage misunderstanding in their relationship. But that is not a reason to be worry. Good news! This article will teach you how to manage misunderstanding in your relationship. It will introduce you to four practical steps you should take to resolve conflicts with your partner. Ready? Let us go!
Ways of Managing Misunderstanding in your Relationship
1. Communicate your Satisfaction and Grievances.
No one can underestimate the power of communication. A lot of misunderstandings would not have lasted if a person had spoken up. Many relationships that collapsed would not have collapsed if there was effective communication. Remember we said earlier that some cases of misunderstanding are artificial. And that some are natural. You cannot use communication to manage artificial misunderstanding in your relationship. Artificial misunderstanding is not a real misunderstanding. It is a mere form of pretense.
Yet, you can use communication to manage natural misunderstanding in your relationship. How? Do not assume that your partner knows the right things to do. You should tell him or her instead. For instance, you should tell your partner if you think he or she owes you apologies. This is because he or she may not even realize that. You will be able to control misunderstanding in your relationship if you embrace effective communication.
2. Do not Expect Perfection.
This is the most effective way of managing misunderstanding in your relationship. A lot of misunderstanding occurs because you expect your partner not to make any mistake. That is to say that your expectations are too high. No one is perfect. And no one will ever be perfect. Hence, it is good for you to foreknow that your partner is not perfect. He or she will act in a way you do not expect.
What you should do is to accommodate the flaws of your partner. This will reduce the outbreak of unnecessary misunderstanding in your relationship. It can even prevent the occurrence of misunderstanding totally. Knowing that your partner is going to misunderstand you and vice versa is a good strategy of managing conflicts. Expectation of mistakes from your partner will reduce the rate of misunderstanding in your relationship.
3. Listen Attentively:
You have unending misunderstanding in your probably because you don’t listen to your partner. By listening to your partner, we mean respect his or her opinions. We do not mean you should obey everything he or she tells you. We mean you should genuinely be attentive to your partner’s requests or complaints.
The truth is that your partner will not be happy if you treat him or her with scorn. If you refuse to listen to your partner, you will always have misunderstanding with him or her. But if you listen attentively to your partner, he or she will be able to say their mind. And this will prevent misunderstanding in your relationship.
4. Learn to Accept Responsibility and Apologize
Flimsy excuses are bad for your relationship. They lead to arguments and conflicts. They cause constant misunderstanding. You show not be an excuse addict. Rather, you should take responsibility for your actions and inaction. This will help you to manage misunderstanding in your relationship.
Neither you nor your partner can be right every time. Hence, you should not hesitate to apologize when you are wrong. Apology has a way of resolving conflicts automatically. This is because it is a way of saying you are sorry. You are going to manage misunderstanding in your relationship very well if you apologize for your wrong doings.
