Stop In The Name Of Love

Your actions may be screaming louder than you realise and harming your relationship. Simran Ahuja helps you fix the damage

- Simran Ahuja

The word communication may be easy to look up in a dictionary, but it is hard to come by in a relationship. Paradoxically, communication can also be a magical antidote to all your relationship issues.

It’s not always about complimenting your partner or singing his praises. “Even if couples disagree with what’s being said or debate and argue, it’s still better than ignoring what a partner is saying. It’s a fundamental need of people that their loved ones should hear them out. Effective communication shows that partners value each other,” says Shivani Misri Sadhoo, marriage and relationship counsellor and consultant psychologist at Fortis C Doc, New Delhi and IBS Hospital, New Delhi.

What’s the biggest communication mistake? Not communicating at all. And it’s not just the things you say; your body language plays a huge role too. We get experts to tell you how you can mend your ways.

YOU NAG TOO MUCH

There is nothing wrong in asking or reminding your partner to do something. But doing so every day of every week earns you the unwanted title of being a nag. Dr Samir Parikh, relationship expert and psychiatrist, director, department of mental health and behavioral sciences, Fortis Healthcare, Gurgaon, explains why this could be harmful for your relationship. “Nagging or constantly complaining about a particular issue is not likely to be beneficial in the long run, be it in a marriage or a relationship. On the contrary, repetitive reminders are likely to contribute to irritability as well as discontent, thereby shifting the focus from the actual issue or concern at hand,” he says.