Acknowledging Her Feelings
It is important to acknowledge and validate your partner’s feelings. Showing understanding and compassion can help her feel heard and understood. When responding to her, make sure you are actively listening and empathizing with what she is feeling. Try not to be defensive or dismissive of her emotions. Acknowledge that you understand her feelings by repeating back what you heard in your own words and letting her know that you care about her. This will show that you are taking the time to really listen and understand her perspective.
Asking Open-ended Questions
Asking open-ended questions can also be a great way to make your partner feel heard and understood. Questions such as “What were your thoughts when this happened?” or “How did this make you feel?” will allow her to express herself more fully without feeling judged or misunderstood. These types of questions also allow for a deeper level of conversation, which can help both of you better understand each other’s perspectives.
Exploring Solutions Together
Once both of you have expressed yourselves, it may be beneficial to explore solutions together. This could mean brainstorming ideas on how to solve the problem or coming up with ways to better handle similar situations in the future. Working together on finding solutions will help both of you feel like equal partners in the relationship, which can create a stronger bond between the two of you. Additionally, exploring solutions together can provide a sense of security that neither one of you is alone in dealing with issues that may arise in the future.