How To Communicate With Your Man Without Fighting

Do you feel like you walk on eggshells every day just to keep the peace in your relationship?

Does having a peaceful conversation with your significant always seem like an impossible task? You’re not alone!

Knowing how to communicate with your man without fighting is one of the biggest challenges you’ll have to deal with in a relationship.

This can be more pronounced if you have a difficult partner who refuses to listen to you or work with you to fix recurring problems in a productive way.

According to relationship experts, one of the biggest relationship problems couples struggle with is knowing how to communicate during conflict.

If you don’t seem to ever agree on anything as a couple, you likely don’t have the right communication skills required to maintain healthy conversations.

And until you both master how to use effective communication skills when talking to each other, your communication problems won’t go away.

The good news is, couples who still fight have a higher chance of reconnecting than couples who are so tired of fighting that they feel defeated and stop caring about anything that goes on in their love life.

A few years ago, when I first started dating my husband, we fought almost every day.

It felt like we both had a lot of things to say but no one was really listening and it took a toll on our relationship.

We had hurt each other so many times with our words that we barely recognized one another.

It was like our love had suddenly evaporated into thin air and we were left with simmering anger and deep resentment in our hearts.

These negative emotions and overwhelming feelings resulted into poor communication in our relationship.

One day I said, “This isn’t going so well. I can’t continue like this.”

The sad truth was that, I was so exhausted from all our fighting and power struggle that I decided to take a break.

This was the turning point for us because in our brief moment of separation, we realized how much we loved each other.

And the only way we could get back together for good, was to prioritize healthy communication in our relationship.

It totally worked and even though we still argue sometimes, we try not to let our disagreements turn into full blown heated arguments.

If you’re ready to learn how to communicate with your man without fighting, you’ll get some healthy communication tips that you can start applying in your love life right away.

HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR MAN WITHOUT FIGHTING

Do you always seem to fight with your man about the same things without ever coming to a mutual agreement?

It’s a good thing you’re fighting but if you’re not resolving your issues after each fight, that’s a bit problematic because a lot of unresolved issues are going to pile up until they become insurmountable.

When this negative cycle goes on for too long, it becomes extremely difficult for couples to move on from past experiences that were painful.

Luckily, you won’t get to that stage because just by reading this post, it shows that you’re willing to put in more effort to learn how to communicate with your man without fighting.

That’s great progress already!

When couples fight, their communication style determines how the overall conversation will go and the type of results they’ll have.

Most people don’t know anything about their styles of communication so they unconsciously use the same ineffective strategies to settle disputes among themselves.

If you’ve been asking, “Why is it so hard to communicate with my man?” and you’re getting super frustrated about this, know that you’re not the only one struggling to figure out how to talk to an angry partner.

In this post, I’m going to show you how to communicate more effectively with your partner so you can stop arguing about the same things over and over again.

Here are 11 effective communication tips to help you talk things out with your man in a healthy way:

1. Choose a suitable time to talk

One of the most common communication mistakes people make is bringing up important discussions at the wrong time.

If you have a difficult partner who easily gets upset about small things, avoid trying to talk to him when he’s busy or in a bad mood.

A good time to talk will be when he’s relaxing at home or around bed time when you’re both getting settled in for the night.

Don’t bring up deep conversation topics when your man is exhausted, preoccupied with something, or rushing off to work.

The first step in knowing how to communicate with your partner without fighting is to observe his body language regularly so you can find the appropriate time to have difficult conversations that require full attention.

2. Avoid using these 4 dysfunctional communication styles

Do you know that men and women use different communication styles in relationships?

According to relationship expert, Dr. John Gottman, there are four negative communication styles that usually lead to conflict and divorce.

Using toxic communication habits like criticism, contempt, defensiveness and stonewalling can be devastating in a relationship.

Do you often criticize and mock your partner when you’re talking? Or do you try to defend yourself by talking back angrily and blocking out your partner emotionally?

Each time you talk, be careful to identify any destructive communication styles you’re using so you can stop them right away before you hurt each other and destroy your healthy marriage beyond repair.

3. Listen to understand before responding

The secret to being a good communicator is to develop active listening skills.

A lot of relationship problems would be avoided if only couples can work on listening more and getting a better understanding of the situation before responding or taking action.

Before you assume or jump to conclusions, make sure you listen to understand your partner’s point of view first.

Show your man you’re listening to him by paying attention to his words, asking open-ended questions and maintaining eye contact with him throughout the conversation.

It’s annoying to realize halfway through a discussion that someone isn’t paying attention to you or even listening to what you’re saying.

If you’re having a serious conversation with your significant other, drop everything you’re doing and listen to him closely.

4. Know your man’s triggers and avoid setting them off

Everyone has emotional triggers that gets them pissed off or upset when they’re toyed with.

Try to find out your partner’s likes and dislikes so you can know how to best handle him to prevent future conflict.

If you discover that your man hates being laughed at, avoid laughing at him especially when you’re having a serious conversation.

No matter how the conversation goes, be careful not to push his buttons. Triggering anyone’s emotions can make them react in a negative manner.

If your partner feels that you’re laughing at him or mocking his choice of words, there’s going to be a bigger problem to deal with.

When you’re talking to your significant other, watch out for destructive habits that can come up and don’t be tempted to use annoying tactics on your man.

5. Take control of your emotions

Knowing how to communicate with a difficult partner involves being more emotionally aware and sensitive to their feelings at all times.

If you expect a better outcome each time you communicate with your man, remember to take absolute control of your emotions when you’re in the middle of a heated argument.

Do everything you can to stay calm, watch your tone and be careful with your choice of words.

If you have anger management issues, practice deep breathing exercises and other relaxation techniques to help you handle difficult emotions in a constructive way.

When you’re trying to talk to your man, speaking in a calm and quiet voice can help you stay in control of the conversation so it doesn’t get out of hand.

Avoid being passive aggressive and don’t engage in destructive communication habits such as stonewalling, gaslighting, or giving your partner the silent treatment when you argue.

Whenever you suspect that something is not right, give yourself enough time to deal with any negative feelings you might have before approaching your man.

This is the best way to make sure you have an open mind when you decide to talk about the issue.

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6. Give him your undivided attention

The essential aspect of effective communication is being fully present with the person you’re having a conversation with.

Most people have the annoying habit of scrolling mindlessly through their phone or watching TV when their partner is trying to communicate with them.

According to relationship experts, this act is called phubbing.

If you do this when you’re having a chit chat or engaging in small talk with your partner, he may not mind you snubbing him in favor of your phone or gadget.

But, if you’re discussing something really important, he’ll get angry if he notices that you’re not paying attention to him.

The best way to give your man undivided attention is to maintain eye contact, stay close to him, and avoid engaging in other activities while you’re having important discussions.

7. Avoid yelling or raising your voice

Nothing good ever comes from screaming or nagging, especially if you are trying to build a long-lasting relationship with your partner.

Even in healthy relationships, when two couples fight, things usually get out of hand when someone starts yelling or throwing things around.

The most important step in fostering good communication in a relationship and knowing how to talk to your man without fighting is to watch the tone of your voice.

If you experience bottlenecks when you try to talk to your significant other about something, avoid yelling or raising your voice as a way of enforcing your opinion.

It may be tempting to try to stand your ground and win an argument so that you can prove to your partner that you’re right and he’s wrong, but that strategy won’t yield the best results.

Sometimes, having the final say is not a good thing especially when you use sarcastic phrases or hurtful words to prove a point.

8. Be specific about your needs

One major problem people have when it comes to expressing their thoughts or feelings is not knowing how to communicate without arguing.

This is because they are not being specific enough about what they need and are instead focusing on all the things that their partner isn’t doing right.

If you want your needs met, the best way to achieve this is by using ‘I’ sentences instead of ‘You’. Don’t say “You never listen to me” or “You are always so selfish”.

When you attack or criticize your man’s behavior, he’ll feel defensive and in that frame of mind, it would be impossible to continue a healthy communication.

Try saying “I feel as if I’m alone in this or “It’s really hard to do all the house chores alone and it would be so nice if you could help.”

Being specific about what you need is a great way to tell your significant other exactly what you want in your relationship.

9. Learn to agree to disagree

When you’re thinking of how to have difficult conversations with your partner, you may feel that being stubborn or strong-willed will be the best approach.

But debating about a particular conversation topic for too long will definitely lead to a power struggle where everyone wants to get the final say.

If you’re on the verge of losing your temper during a fight, take a step back and give yourself some time to gather your thoughts.

It’s okay to restart the conversation later when you’ve both calmed down because continuing with a heated argument will only lead to more hurtful words or violence being exchanged.

A healthy way to deal with conflict is to take a break to deal with overwhelming emotions and clear your thoughts before talking about the same problem again.

This doesn’t mean you have to give up or surrender but it’s good to know when something is worth fighting for and when it’s best to let sleeping dogs lie.

Sometimes, it’s also okay to try to compromise from time to time when things don’t turn out as expected.

Instead of insisting on having your way all the time, find a way to compromise for the growth of your partner and your relationship.

10. Show empathy towards your partner

The importance of communication in a relationship is not to win an argument at all costs or to be right all the time but to bring empathy, compassion and understanding to your relationship.

Are you supportive or judgemental towards your partner?

If you find yourself battling with recurrent arguments in your relationship, be the bigger person and take control of the situation by showing more love.

A simple apology and compassion can go a long way in preventing conflict.

If you say something offensive out of anger, show remorse by saying, “I shouldn’t have said that to you. It’s totally unfair and you don’t deserve to be treated that way. I’m sorry.”

Taking personal responsibility for your own actions is not an act of surrender but a show of maturity.

Instead of being defensive and coming up with a negative response to hurt your partner even more, a good idea to defuse the tension would be to give a sincere apology.

11. Don’t bring up the past unless it’s really important

Another big mistake a lot of couples make when trying to have honest conversations with each other is to dig up the past even when the issue has been previously resolved.

This is the fastest way to escalate an argument and if you’re trying to learn how to communicate with your partner during a fight, you have to be mindful of this at all times.

The secret to better communication is to focus on the real problem at hand and avoid bringing up the past if it has nothing to do with what is currently being discussed.

Don’t try to emotionally blackmail your partner or try to twist their words and make them look bad.

Everyone makes mistakes from time to time and it’s important to acknowledge that fact so you don’t put each other down for your flaws or previous mistakes.

No matter what happens in your relationship, resist the urge to reopen old wounds that are already healed.

If you have past issues that seem to resurface, sign up for online therapy and counseling to fix your problems.

A lot of romantic couples struggle with lack of communication, money problems and intimacy issues over the course of their relationship.

The way you handle your problems as a couple is what really matters in the long run.

It’s important to know that you’re not the only couple battling with recurring problems that never seem to really go away.

When you’re learning how to improve communication with your partner, you’re going to have to deal with a lot of challenges that may threaten to tear you apart.

Stay strong amid chaos. As long as you still love each other, your goal should always be to stay emotionally connected as you work on building a happy relationship that can last.

If you try all the tips I’ve outlined in this post and they don’t work for you, consider signing up for couples therapy or counseling to fix your communication problems.

Recommended Reading:

How Often Do Couples Fight In A Healthy Relationship

10 Obvious Signs Of An Unhappy Marriage

How To Communicate Better With Your Spouse

Top 10 Critical Communication Skills Every Couple Should Have