Learning from Past Relationships: Healthy Communication

Communication is the backbone of all healthy, supportive relationships.

While every relationship has ups and downs, healthy communication makes for far more “ups.” That’s because healthy communication makes it easier to deal with conflict, builds a deeper sense of trust, and encourages people to speak openly and honestly about their feelings with one another.

If you’ve ever had a relationship – friendly or romantic – with someone who doesn’t practice healthy communication, you know firsthand how difficult it is to connect deeply or find the incentive to maintain your relationship. And although thinking about it might bring you some level of pain or regret, it’s important to reflect on which aspects of those broken relationships bothered you the most so you can communicate more effectively with other people in the future.

Healthier communication habits can be game-changing for any relationship, so let’s discuss some ways you can learn from your mistakes of the past to have a brighter future!

Building Trust

Healthy communication is interconnected with trust, and if you trust someone, you know you can rely on them to stand by your side when times get tough.

On the other hand, unhealthy communication can make it difficult to “go deep” with another person, let alone confide in them. As a result, you might feel more lonely or isolated in your relationship, given there is no space for sharing your vulnerabilities.

Building trust with another person through healthy communication ultimately gives you a stronger support network and deeper connections.

Practice Active Listening

Active listeners don’t just “hear” what the other person is saying, but instead make a conscious effort to listen to, understand, and retain the information being presented to them. In other words, activer listeners are more empathetic and tend to take more time to think before they speak.

In a healthy relationship, active listening shows that you care deeply about one another and want to understand the other person’s perspective.

Take Time To Self-Reflect

While reflecting on the mistakes of others in past relationships is a good way to gain insight on being a better communicator, sometimes you have to look within yourself and identify your own errors, too.

Self-reflection is key to improving your communication skills. We all make mistakes, and there’s no point in beating yourself up over it. Every relationship is a learning experience, and it’s more productive to constructively act upon the past than it is to dwell on it.

Talk To A Counselor

If you want to improve your relationships by practicing healthy communication but don’t know where to start, thankfully, there’s an answer.

Morning Coffee Counseling can help you break negative cycles and build better relationships. Matt offers caring, effective online counseling aimed at helping you find peace from within, so you can be on your way to maintaining the healthy, supportive relationships you crave.

Schedule a free introductory call today to learn new ways of coping and connecting!