When communication is breaking down, you’re not just going offline with someone for a period of time—you’re not being heard. Oftentimes, communication breaks down because you feel like you’re not able to express yourself the way you want to. When you can’t get your point across, you become discouraged from sharing altogether. Below, find five ways to help your relationship through this frustrating time.
Take a break from communicating altogether
While it might seem counterintuitive to cut off all communication when you’re trying to rebuild a connection, taking a break can be very beneficial. Though, it is important that you both enter into your blackout willingly and set a definite end point. This time apart will give you space to gather your thoughts and formulate exactly what you want to say. Also, it will show you how important of a role this person plays in your life.
Make a routine for communication
Having a reminder to reach out can be a big help when it comes to reconnecting. While it might seem awkward at first to put yourself out there in a sort of clinical way, it only takes 21 days of repeating an action for it to become a habit. If you pick a specific day or time to make an effort to talk to someone you lost touch with, that routine will eventually feel natural.
Make an effort to speak in person
In the technological age, it can be difficult to come across the right way when you communicate with someone. That is why it is so important to reconnect face-to-face. Having that immediate presence and hearing all of the intonations and hesitations in someone’s voice can’t be replicated on a screen. While in-person conversations put us in a more vulnerable position, in the end, giving up that security is worth it if it helps mend your relationship with someone close to you.
Be clear and direct
There are a couple of steps you have to take before you actually sit down to have a conversation with someone who has become distant to you. Step number one is acknowledging that there is a problem in your communication. Step number two is deciding that this person is important enough to you to make the effort to rebuild the connection. Step three is choosing which of these suggested methods will suit your situation. Whether you decide to blackout, mandate routine communication or set a date for an in-person confrontation, you MUST be clear and direct with your feelings. Once you have gone through this multistep process, you can’t beat around the bush.
