CHICOPEE, Mass. (Mass Appeal) How can we better manage conflict in our lives? Ken Dolan-Del Vecchio, Author, Family Therapist, Health and Wellness Executive told us how to better approach conflict.Conflict Tips & Tricks:
- Thinking and feeling differently does not mean one person is right and the other wrong.
- It is important to enter discussions of conflict with a positive, calm, respectful tone. If you approach differences with a great display of feelings, those feelings steal the focus and make it more difficult to understand and resolve the disagreement.
- Respectfully listening to the other person’s view and sharing your own can broaden how each of you understands what’s being discussed.
- Honest sharing of differences can build trust.
- When in disagreement about significant matters-where a couple will live, who will take responsibility for which chores, how major decisions will be made-it’s important to talk the conflict through in order to reach solutions acceptable to all who are involved.
- Avoiding conflict can lead to resentment and emotional distance in a relationship.
- Addressing conflict can lead to mutual understanding and greater closeness.
