Communicate.

Communication. To some people, communication is as easy as breathing, but for others it can be difficult to find the right words.

In relationships of all kinds, communication is the foundation. If you are unable to communicate your thoughts, ideas, and opinions with the people around you, relationships can suffer. The marriage relationship is no exception to this rule.

My husband and I have been in each other’s lives for about 7 years, and over the course of that time we have been able to develop our communication skills.

When we first got together, I was a hothead who loved being heard and Josh was super passive, so if he didn’t like what was happening he would avoid it. Naturally this led to many difficult patches in our relationship. Thankfully, as we grew up and became more mature, our ability to communicate with each other became easier. It has also helped that we now better understand one another’s silent cues and quirks.

Josh in particular is phenomenal at that. When I am upset, sad, frustrated, or discouraged, I have an incredibly hard time just saying what is making me feel that way. My theory is, I just don’t want to freaking cry! (For me crying is a whole other ball game, the nose starts running, my face squishes up, it truly is just not a great sight). So when Josh picks up on my physical signs of being “not OK” he uses his understanding of me to help coax me into finding the words I need to express to him why I am upset. I am so appreciative of Josh’s personality and his ability to calmly enable me to express myself.

Being able to communicate effectively is such a crucial tool. Take some time to consider how you communicate with the people around you and assess areas you may want to improve. Remember that communicating effectively is something that can be developed over time, much like it was in my relationship with my husband.

When two people are committed to understanding one another, you can create effective communication.