Conflict to Peace in Relationships

What Do You Do When You Don't Use Good Communication Skills?

Normally, I try to take my own advice and am careful about how I communicate especially on sensitive issues. However, sometimes someone steps on a sore spot and I respond before thinking. Recently, I snapped at my son, Alex about something he did that irritated me.

He retorted, "Mom, why don't you communicate the way you teach." My heart sank and I felt bad. How could I teach on resolving conflict and using good communication skills if I don't do it right all the time?

I emailed a friend and shared my concern. She emailed me back and encouraged me to extend grace to myself. That made so much sense. Of course, I'm going to make mistakes. I am an imperfect person in a learning process. The important thing is that I come back to what I know what is best. Then I can take responsibility for my mistakes, apologize and learn from them.

Later Alex and I talked through the issue and we were fine with each other. It's a good idea to teach your children good communication skills because then you will be able to work through conflicts with them.

The lesson to learn is when you make communication mistakes, don't be too hard on yourself. However, do take responsibility for them and ask yourself, "What can I learn from this to have a better outcome next time?" Extend grace to yourself as well as others and you will find more peace within and in your relationships!

"There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus." Romans 8:1 (NIV)

What Do You Do When Someone Criticizes You?

When someone criticizes you, what is your first reaction? If you are like most people, your first response is to defend yourself. That's okay. You usually have your side of the story.

However, one of the quickest and smartest ways to diffuse criticism is to acknowledge the other person's point of view.  If you say "I hear you, I understand your point of view or I see your point," the other person feels heard. Then they may be willing to listen to your viewpoint.

Even if they won't listen to you and you disagree with the other person, there is usually some truth in what they say. Even if they are only a little bit right, you can learn something.

The constructive response is to ask yourself, "What can I learn from this? How can I grow?" This keeps you from being resentful and gives you a positive focus. You can take something thrown against you and use it to propel yourself to the next level of competency and success. In this way, you use the criticism to your advantage.

"He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding." Proverbs 15:32 (NIV)

Have You Ever Vented Your Anger and Later Regret It?

Sometimes you say things in anger that you don’t really mean. Sometimes, what you say and do doesn’t have anything to do with what you are truly upset about. 

 

There is a natural healthy guilt that comes when you know you have not treated another person right. The question is how do you redeem the situation?

Here are some ideas on how to turn a negative situation into a positive one.

1.    Remove yourself from the situation and go somewhere to calm down.

2.    If you feel guilty, give yourself some grace. Everyone makes mistakes. The important thing is to learn from the situation what you can do differently next time.

3.    Take some time to find out what you are truly angry about. When you are angry, you are trying to take a stand for something. Try to get in touch with what that is. Review the tips on what to do when you are angry.

4.    Humble yourself and apologize to the person you vented to. Even if they were wrong, you need to take responsibility for the wrong you did. An apology will usually soften the other person’s heart and make them more willing to consider your point of view.

5.    After you’ve calmed down and figured out what the real issues are for you, talk to them. If you feel you can better express yourself in writing or don’t feel you can talk with them in person, email or write them.

Hopefully, the person will receive your apology and you can be reconciled. Ideally, you can have  a more productive conversation and understand each other better. In this way something negative can be turned into something positive.

If not, you do the best you can to make things right, give it some space and time and “let go and let God.” You can learn from every situation and gain wisdom for the next time. As you grow wiser, you will be able to control yourself better. The verse below is not a criticism as much as an invitation to grow in wisdom.

“A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.  Proverbs 29:11 (NIV)

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7 Tips on What to Do When You are Angry

Something happens that triggers you and you feel like you are about to explode. Mean things come to your mind and retaliation is uppermost in your mind. What to do? You can simply vent at the moment but sometimes you can make a situation worse. What are some of the better ways to handle yourself when you are angry?

 

The other night, friends of mine (names have been changed) had a conflict. Joe did something that triggered Sarah. She knew she would say things she’d later regret and knew she needed to calm down. So she got up, grabbed a book and went downstairs to exercise. With the time and space to think, she was able to sort through her thoughts and feelings and then decide more objectively what to do.

1. Walk away. This is not always possible but if possible, give yourself some space from the other person and situation. Take a walk. Go exercise. Exercise helps to get rid of negative energy.

2. Calm down. Anger releases hormones and adrenalin that cause hearts to race and minds to spin.
3. Process your thoughts and feelings. If you can, talk to someone you trust who will just listen. This will help you clarify the issues and think more clearly. Sometimes the other person may even have some perspective that can help.
4. If you don’t have someone to talk to, you can go somewhere alone and vent to yourself out loud.
5. Another way to process your feelings is to write. Sometimes it helps to write an angry letter to the person you are angry with but don’t send it. This helps you to get all your thoughts and feelings out. If you do want to send a letter, let it set for a day or two and when you return to it, you will be able to be more objective.
6. Seek understanding. If you don’t understand, ask God to help you understand yourself, the other person and the situation.
7. Wisdom tells you that you don’t have to change every person or situation. Pray for wisdom on what you need to let go of and what you need to address using the guidelines on how to talk and share feelings.

These tips will help you use your anger in constructive ways that will benefit yourself and others. Refer to this post and the other posts in this blog when you have challenging communication situations.

I review them myself. For example, when I need to address an issue with someone I re-read the 10 Powerful Tips for Sharing Thoughts and Feelings. When I want to listen more effectively, I refer to 7 Tips for Effective Listening and Talking Together.

 

Don't get hung up on trying to do it perfectly. Good communication, like any other skill is a learning process. So extend yourself some grace. Each time you read these, your knowledge and skill will expand. This is a wonderful resource so take advantage of it and enjoy the benefits of more peace in your relationships.

 

"In your anger do not sin” Ephesians 4:26a (NIV)

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