I Don’t Want to Fight: Dealing with Conflict Avoidance

Conflict-averse people work hard to avoid situations where conflicts could occur in the first place. Being conflict avoidant also impacts our relationships because we’re cutting off all honest communication with the other person. Conflict avoidance, also known as complaint avoidance, is when a person avoids discussing issues with their partner to avoid confrontation or an argument. People may do this as a way to preserve harmony in the relationship. If your spouse says something like, “I don’t want to talk about this right now,” don’t hear that they don’t want to talk to you. Instead, keeping in mind that tone of voice matters, ask when is a good time?

• This fear can lead to a belief that conflict is dangerous and must be avoided.
• You have to discern and decide what ways you can continue with family or people who don’t want to address difficult things.
• It can be difficult for you to have empathy for your partner when you think they don’t understand you.
• Give yourself a day or two to think the situation over and get your thoughts and feelings sorted out.

Doing things that make you happy can be just what you need when you feel like you’re drowning. When engaging in self-care activities, do them without your partner. One of the most insidious is that happy couples never fight.

The importance of communicating openly and honestly in your relationship

Speaking to a qualified therapist can help you learn how to better manage your negative emotions. You can work together on resolving conflicts more productively. When you avoid the slightest disagreement, you’re compromising your true feelings and storing up frustration that can end up negatively affecting your health. Instead of yelling at your partner that they don’t love you any more or that they are a bad person for not spending more time with you, focus on how you are feeling. Sometimes, a little self-reflection can provide significant insight into the core issues in your relationship and even into some of your most fundamental fears in life. Although the adverse impact of conflict avoidance can be seen across all genders in relationships, its effects can be particularly upsetting for women. People who avoid conflict will often change their thoughts because of what their partner has already said in an effort to keep the peace.

• Schedule an appointment with a Makin Wellness counselor today if you’d like more information on conflict avoidance or other relationship issues.
• You have a clear idea of what you want and what you don’t want — but that doesn’t mean you feel the need to assert it in the moment.
• Cindy Lamothe is a freelance journalist based in Guatemala.
• If you view conflict as a task to be completed rather than something to be fearful of, you can remove some negative emotions from confrontation.
• ” Be ready with two or three examples to illustrate your point, and speak in a non-reactive tone.
• Learning how to confront someone assertively won’t happen overnight.

However, this end is simply not feasible 100 percent of the time. Whether it’s an angry coworker, an aggressive subordinate or an unruly customer, learning ways to avoid conflict can improve working relationships. Individuals with secure attachment are able to experience conflict, sit with their feelings, and express them in a calm, healthy way. If your childhood circumstances have led to avoidant or anxious behavior in your adulthood, you may find it extremely painful to take the first step and re-learn healthy patterns. Commit to trying at least one of the tactics above to handle conflict rather than avoiding it.

Stop Avoiding Conflict And Try These Five Tactics Instead

They change the topic by finding something on which there can be some agreement with the https://ecosoberhouse.com/ conflicting party. Practice relaxation techniques that you can use to calm yourself.

Once you acknowledge them, they’ll have less power over you. Maybe you’ve developed a disdain for your significant other because you kept quiet about something that bothered you for so long.

Is avoiding conflict toxic?

In fact, avoiding conflict can cause many problems in your relationship and can weaken your couple connection. By avoiding conflict, you are not able to express your true feelings. You store up your frustrations and keep them to yourself. It can also have negative impacts on your overall health and well-being. how to deal with someone who avoids conflict Kenneth Thomas and Ralph Kilmann developed five conflict resolution strategies that people use to handle conflict, including avoiding, defeating, compromising, accommodating, and collaborating. This is based on the assumption that people choose how cooperative and how assertive to be in a conflict.

Taking a look at the negative effects of conflict avoidance can motivate you to make some changes. Suppose you can reframe your thoughts on conflict and recognize it as a necessary part of compromising and building a successful relationship.

Their desire is to engage wholeheartedly and resolve the conflict versus their tendency to shut down, become defensive, or stonewall. Where you may be much better at communicating your thoughts, emotions, and wants, your spouse may bounce back and forth from being defensive to being vulnerable. Revisiting conversations that you thought were resolved isn’t unusual when your spouse is working to do better at engaging in conflict.