How to Deal with Political Discord in a Relationship
Watch your tone., Keep your beliefs between the two of you., Avoid speaking negatively towards one another., Practice listening, instead of speaking., Remember how important your relationship is.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Watch your tone.
When people become hurt during disagreements, it is often because one person feels like the other is being disrespectful towards them.
This commonly occurs because of the tone or edge in their voice.
Keeping condescending attitudes out of the discussion may stop hard feelings from forming.
When you feel yourself getting worked up and potentially getting an attitude, take a break from the conversation.
You can say, “I need to take a break for a minute.
I'm starting to get upset and I do not want to say something I do not mean or say it with an attitude.” Excusing yourself from the conversation in this manner is respectful and can prevent a huge fight from occurring. -
Step 2: Keep your beliefs between the two of you.
There is no need to drag anyone else into your political conversations.
There also isn’t a need to talk badly about your partner’s politics to anyone, particularly your children.
Instead of causing more issues by bringing others into your disagreements, simply keep the political talk between you and your partner.
You can talk to your children about politics, just try to keep your own beliefs and opinions to yourself, especially when they differ from your significant other’s.
Stick with the basics and avoid inserting anything else other than the facts.
If your friends or family wish to discuss politics with you, simply say, “I don’t like to talk politics with friends or family, so let’s discuss something else.” Voicing your opinion in a calm way allows you to move on and keep the relationship intact., It’s common to hear of Democrats and Republicans trading insults, especially during debates.
Doing this with your partner, however, is unacceptable.
Although you have a difference of opinion when it comes to politics, you should refrain from insults and hitting below the belt to get your point across.Remember that politics is not black or white, good or evil — it is a spectrum, and there can be a lot of gray area.
Don't assume something about the other person's beliefs or personality based simply on their political alignment.
They don't necessarily agree with each and every viewpoint being presented by one side.
People, and politics, are complex, and it's not necessarily a case of "all or nothing."
In a majority of conversations, people don’t listen as intently as they should.
Instead, they are simply waiting for the other person to stop talking so that they can then begin to speak.
Not fully hearing your partner can lead to misunderstandings and hurt feelings.
To prevent this, fully listen to what your partner has to say and then formulate a response.
It may take some practice and a lot of self-restraint to resist defending yourself and your beliefs before allowing your partner to speak their mind.
However, if you do so, you’ll likely find that your discussions may not end in as many arguments.
You can also ask your partner to do the same.
You could say, “I am going to do my best to listen intently to what you have to say before I interject my opinion.
I think if we both practiced this type of listening, we could better understand each other.”If your partner is taking about a topic you're not familiar with, be honest and open about it.
You might say something like, "I'm not familiar with that topic so I can't comment on it, but I'll do my best to educate myself on it."
In all of this, remember how you feel about your partner.
There’s a reason why you are together in the first place.
Instead of coming back with a cutting response, think about how much you love each other and if winning the conversation is worth potentially damaging your relationship.
Simply taking a deep breath and choosing to walk away from the conversation may stop a disagreement from occurring in which feelings are hurt.
Instead, be the bigger person and realize that your relationship is more important than what is occurring in politics. -
Step 3: Avoid speaking negatively towards one another.
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Step 4: Practice listening
-
Step 5: instead of speaking.
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Step 6: Remember how important your relationship is.
Detailed Guide
When people become hurt during disagreements, it is often because one person feels like the other is being disrespectful towards them.
This commonly occurs because of the tone or edge in their voice.
Keeping condescending attitudes out of the discussion may stop hard feelings from forming.
When you feel yourself getting worked up and potentially getting an attitude, take a break from the conversation.
You can say, “I need to take a break for a minute.
I'm starting to get upset and I do not want to say something I do not mean or say it with an attitude.” Excusing yourself from the conversation in this manner is respectful and can prevent a huge fight from occurring.
There is no need to drag anyone else into your political conversations.
There also isn’t a need to talk badly about your partner’s politics to anyone, particularly your children.
Instead of causing more issues by bringing others into your disagreements, simply keep the political talk between you and your partner.
You can talk to your children about politics, just try to keep your own beliefs and opinions to yourself, especially when they differ from your significant other’s.
Stick with the basics and avoid inserting anything else other than the facts.
If your friends or family wish to discuss politics with you, simply say, “I don’t like to talk politics with friends or family, so let’s discuss something else.” Voicing your opinion in a calm way allows you to move on and keep the relationship intact., It’s common to hear of Democrats and Republicans trading insults, especially during debates.
Doing this with your partner, however, is unacceptable.
Although you have a difference of opinion when it comes to politics, you should refrain from insults and hitting below the belt to get your point across.Remember that politics is not black or white, good or evil — it is a spectrum, and there can be a lot of gray area.
Don't assume something about the other person's beliefs or personality based simply on their political alignment.
They don't necessarily agree with each and every viewpoint being presented by one side.
People, and politics, are complex, and it's not necessarily a case of "all or nothing."
In a majority of conversations, people don’t listen as intently as they should.
Instead, they are simply waiting for the other person to stop talking so that they can then begin to speak.
Not fully hearing your partner can lead to misunderstandings and hurt feelings.
To prevent this, fully listen to what your partner has to say and then formulate a response.
It may take some practice and a lot of self-restraint to resist defending yourself and your beliefs before allowing your partner to speak their mind.
However, if you do so, you’ll likely find that your discussions may not end in as many arguments.
You can also ask your partner to do the same.
You could say, “I am going to do my best to listen intently to what you have to say before I interject my opinion.
I think if we both practiced this type of listening, we could better understand each other.”If your partner is taking about a topic you're not familiar with, be honest and open about it.
You might say something like, "I'm not familiar with that topic so I can't comment on it, but I'll do my best to educate myself on it."
In all of this, remember how you feel about your partner.
There’s a reason why you are together in the first place.
Instead of coming back with a cutting response, think about how much you love each other and if winning the conversation is worth potentially damaging your relationship.
Simply taking a deep breath and choosing to walk away from the conversation may stop a disagreement from occurring in which feelings are hurt.
Instead, be the bigger person and realize that your relationship is more important than what is occurring in politics.
About the Author
Kimberly Cole
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow home improvement tutorials.
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