How to Help Your Partner Feel Better When They're Down
"If your partner is feeling down, frustrated, or anxious, there are different things you can do to help them feel better.
These eight emotion regulation strategies are:
Valuing. Expressing to your partner how much they are valued and special to you.
Humor. Trying to make your partner smile or laugh. For example, you could share a joke, tell a funny story, or act silly to entertain them.
Receptive listening. Encouraging your partner to share their emotions by talking about what has just happened or how they are feeling.
Reconstrual. Encouraging your partner to change their thoughts or interpretation of the situation that is causing their emotions.
Direct action. Directly changing something in your partner’s environment to reduce their negative feelings. For example, if they are frustrated by loud and annoying talk radio, you could turn off the radio.
Distraction. Attempt to reduce your partner’s negative feelings by focusing their attention away from the aspect of the situation that is causing their negative feelings.
Expressive suppression. Encouraging your partner to avoid expressing their emotions in their facial expressions, tone of voice, or body language.
Downward social comparison: Trying to change how your partner feels about a bad situation by shifting their frame of reference to someone who is in an even worse situation."
Read the full article on Psychology Today
✨Takeaway: To help make your partner feel better, let them know they are valued, share a laugh together, and listen to their feelings.
✨Reflection: What are some other ways you could make your partner feel valued?
#Relationship #Partner #Communication #Listening #Support
@innateJoy9602
Thank you for this post! I am just a little confused about one of these points:
Expressive suppression. Encouraging your partner to avoid expressing their emotions in their facial expressions, tone of voice, or body language.
I don't really see how an individual would express emotions if not through non-verbal communication - which includes facial expression, tone of voice and body language... We cannot expect others to react to us like robots, nor do I think that we woul like this. I am actually highly encouraging my partner to let his emotions flow, for example, to allow himself to cry.
@Sleepwalkermw
Good point! I find it interesting you pointed that out actually. I had the same thought when I first read the article. I personally believe crying is a great way to release emotions. But, after doing some more reading around, I think it is referring more to when your partner is angry. For instance, expressive suppression requires self-control. Like we use self-control when handling our emotion-based expressions in public. If that makes sense. So, it’s more towards resisting negative urges! 💜
Just as you cannot fix someone you cannot regulate their emotions.
What someone just needs is feeling understood. Feeling safe.
Being offered a hug. A listening ear. Or simply a nice cup of tea, in silent togetherness.
I'd stay far away from all that is mentioned in this article. All it might do is to not feel the other being accepted.