For Wisdom In My Relationship With My Boyfriend

What are Some Tips for Communicating with my Boyfriend?

Perhaps the biggest tip for communicating with your boyfriend is to acknowledge that people, especially men and women, do not always express themselves in the same way.

Once you understands this, you can use certain techniques to improve the way you communicate: keep conversations simple and short, alert your boyfriend when you need to vent, use body language well and incorporate “I” statements into conversations.

Other tips include giving your boyfriend plenty of time to answer, trying to see through his eyes and using his unique traits and interests to make points clearer. Complimenting him also can improve the communication situation, because it can make him feel more needed and capable, prompting him to talk openly.

Acknowledge Communication Differences

Men and woman often have different ways of expressing themselves. Women tend to want to explore a range of different feelings and opinions.

They usually see communication as an effective way of preventing issues and planning what to do next. By contrast, discussing many opinions and feelings can be difficult for men, who typically prefer to keep things simple.

Due to the way that most men communicate, it’s typically helpful to keep conversations short and rational, addressing just one or two feelings or ideas at a time. This requires you to narrow down exactly what you want to say before a discussion happens, but it usually keeps a guy’s attention.

Give a Heads Up Before Venting

Most men are good problem solvers because of the way their brains are “wired.” This can get his partner a fix, but it also can make a boyfriend respond to venting the wrong way.

He might think that you are giving him an issue to resolve, when really you just wants to get feelings off of your chest.

To put a boyfriend more at ease, it’s a good idea to start the conversation with an honest disclaimer, such as “I don’t expect anybody to have a solution, but just talking about it will make me feel better.”

Speak With the Body

Communicating well in a romantic or other relationship requires that you pay close attention to your body language.

Facial and other body gestures can pass on a huge amount of meaning during a conversation, so one way to manipulate a conversation well or avoid conflict with a boyfriend is to control your movements.

If you sit with your arms crossed, for example, this conveys an unwillingness to listen or hear the other person out. By contrast, leaning forward and smiling can show an interest in what your boyfriend is saying.

Use “I” Language

Even though body language can speak louder than the actual words a person says, your boyfriend still is going to listen to your actual speech.

Psychologists long have recommended using “I” statements such as “I think” or “I feel that…” while communicating, because such statements generally do not put the listener on the defensive.

Avoiding “you” statements therefore might improve the effectiveness of your talks.

Give Time for Response

There is a huge difference between monologue and dialogue. In monologue, just one person talks, meaning two-way communication doesn’t happen. Getting your boyfriend to open up in a meaningful way, therefore, means that you can’t do all the talking.

Give your boyfriend time to react to what you’ve said.

This can be challenging, because even though some people to take time to formulate a concise, simple and clear answer, others react emotionally to the brief periods of silence and sometimes feel the need to fill them with more talking.

See from His Point of View

One trick that sometimes boosts communication in a relationship is for one partner to put himself or herself in the other's shoes.

If the guy has been spending a lot of extra time with his friends, for example, you might try to think about what those friends provide in terms of fun, relaxation and self-expression.

You then can couple your understanding with “I” statements, such as “I know spending time with your friends lets you get rid of stress, but I feel …”

Take Advantage of the Unique

Even though men display some general characteristics that are pretty similar, each man, just each woman, is highly individual. Your boyfriend has his own dreams, philosophies, experiences, fears and preferences.

Incorporating these things into the communication approach can make him more responsive.

If your boyfriend is into video games, for instance, your might try using an analogy using a specific game to describe a situation, problem or feeling.

Compliment Him

Many men are naturally competitive to some degree, so complimenting your boyfriend can boost his ego, making him feel comfortable and needed. That can make him more willing to talk openly and really listen attentively.

Источник: //www.wisegeek.com/what-are-some-tips-for-communicating-with-my-boyfriend.htm

4 Lessons About Love and Long-Distance Relationships

“Distance means so little when someone means so much.” ~Unknown

People tend to think long-distance relationships are one of the hardest possible ways of loving someone. I live in one: As a young European, I am deeply in love with my African boyfriend who pursues his career in Asia.

I met my love about two years ago. After dating for a few months and sharing a wonderful time in an Asian country, we split up, as he had many doubts about things that seemed to separate us. At this point in time, our differences seemed to be too wide to merge them into a happy, long-lasting life together.

This period was very painful for both of us. After one year—when I had already returned to my home country—he approached me again, explaining how wrong he was, and asking for a second chance.

I didn’t know what this implied, but my heart was saying wholeheartedly yes as I was confident the differences weren’t stronger than our love. My heart felt embedded in his, and I still loved him deeply.

So we started fresh again—this time with an extreme distance between us.

The first months felt easy, as the bliss of being back together melted the distance away. Even though different time zones and tight budgets influenced our ways of communication, it only mattered that we had found our way back to each other.

We missed each other dearly; but there was a certain peace with the reality. I could feel him being on the other side, thinking of me and being in love with me. This was all I could ask for.

However, I knew this serenity would come and go; frustration could kick in eventually and challenge us. Around one year and two visits later, the downsides of the distance did indeed knock me off. I missed my boyfriend during days and nights, and fear crept in.

What if this would lead us only to a big disappointment?

My mind dug through tons of questions and my world felt not as open and wide anymore. We knew we would need to deal with lots of issues if we wanted to be together—ambitious career paths and different work/life-balances, immigration papers, money, languages, intercultural differences, a worried family on my side.

It‘s not easy to keep up with the constant uncertainty of the future, and I often feel tired of external factors that hinder us.

But it has also dawned on me that I can’t make myself the victim of circumstances. We need to keep putting our heads up high and take the distance as our current external state that shapes us but will change eventually.

I don’t deny we live on two different continents, and can‘t have breakfasts in bed or spontaneous weekend trips to the sea. But I always wished for a wonderful man with a beautiful character who loves me for who I am. Now I got my wish—just totally my comfort zone.

I’ve learned some lessons along the way—and they may help even if you’re not in a long-distance relationship:

1. Communicate.

It‘s important that you speak, listen, write, fight, and laugh with your partner about everything that’s meaningful to you. I use different channels for communication, and surprise my honey from time to time with a postcard, a colorful photo, or an unexpected call.

We don‘t hear from each other every day; sometimes we can‘t Skype for days due to clashing schedules or bad Internet connections. This is annoying but okay.

We remember to respect the other person‘s schedule and space; we don‘t expect the other one to be available all the time. I think it’s important to keep it light to a certain degree so that there’s no need of constant (virtual) presence that would be draining at some point.

Even if you aren’t miles apart, you want to find the right balance of interaction, and spice up communication with surprises here and there. You want to handle challenges as a team and become closer through them.

2. Challenge your doubts.

I can‘t make the distance define my feelings for him. It is what it is, and we can only do our best today in loving each other, and work toward a life together with patience and faith.

Distance doesn‘t kill love; doubts do. Therefore I give my best in choosing love over doubt.

Sometimes I’m not strong enough and let fear creep in. Then I share my frustration with him, talk to a close friend, or do something uplifting just for myself.

Then the feeling of love comes back on its own and laughs gently on my worried mind.

Every relationship faces challenges, and doubts may plague us sometimes. It’s our mind that causes doubts, so we’re the ones who can choose to take on a different perspective.

I’m not suggesting oppressing worries (that may be reasonable in unhealthy relationships), but I’d to encourage you to choose a positive outlook when it’s healthy, instead of blocking yourself with limiting thoughts or labels.

3. Become clear about who you are and what you want.

If you love whole-heartedly it’s easy to put the other one on a pedestal and treat him/her a superhero.

In a long-distance relationship it may even take more time to realize the other one is just as human as you.

Keep learning from each other, and don’t be afraid of discovering the flaws or challenges the other one may have. Try to first see what it is in you that makes you irritated, and exchange thoughts about it calmly and respectfully.

Always keep curious and ask lots of questions. Be willing to open up just as much.

As long as you respect and love your partner, you will always find a way to deal mindfully with conflict and disagreement.

4. Spend quality time together.

You don‘t need to talk every day. Just make sure the time with each other is well spent. Laugh a lot.

Try to treat the distance as a friend, not an enemy. Be creative, play with the technical possibilities—celebrate occasionally with a dinner on Skype, watch a movie via shared screen, or dance to some good music. Your joy about sharing those day-to-day things may be very high, as you do not take them for granted.

Visit each other as often as you can, and spend time just the way you want. Save up money for visits, split costs, and plan activities you want to do together. This is crucial for you as a couple, and it refuels the batteries.

Even if you see your loved one often, you still need to consciously choose to spend quality time together.

I’ve learned that physical distance does not equal emotional distance, and there is so much to explore. It’s really what you make it.

The point is to not deny the hard parts, but also to not feel paralyzed by them.

These are just a few ways to find strength and happiness in a committed long-distance relationship. What’s your biggest love challenge, and how do you overcome it?

Photo by garryknight

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Источник: //tinybuddha.com/blog/4-lessons-about-love-and-long-distance-relationships/

My Boyfriend hates me what should i do?

We all end up in tiffs with those closest to us, such as family, friends and boyfriends. Sometimes we are to blame, sometimes they are.

The important thing is to figure out what happened and how to resolve it.

Below you will find some reasons why your boyfriend might have come to hate you for certain things (though he still loves you for others or he wouldn’t be with you) and what you can do about it.

Maybe you broke up with someone else recently and is still processing it. Maybe you have a tendency to compare the now with the “then” without even realizing it. Maybe you have a great relationship with your ex and still talk to him on the phone every day as his friend.

Whatever it may be, if you bring up your ex, your current boyfriend can start feeling inferior to him.

Whilst you don’t see it that way and therefore don’t understand why your boyfriend is upset, try to refrain from talking about your ex for a while.

Also make it clear that whilst you might still be processing a past relationships, or be friends with your ex, it’s not him you want. You want the man standing right in front of you.

You Keep Putting Him Down

We are all guilty of putting our boyfriend down at some point or another – whether we joke about his poor cooking skills, or compare his abs to those of Chris Hemsworth, there comes a time when we say something offensive, even if it was just in jest.

Sometimes we get a habit of doing this too much. Maybe we think we’re just having a laugh. Maybe all the other girlies are joking about their men too in front of them. Maybe you sarcasm. The truth is still that your man wants to be appreciated.

Especially in front of others.

You Take Him for Granted

There was a time when you ran home from work to see your man, came up with exquisite date nights, cooked for him, gave him massages and dressed up from head to toe to try to impress him.

Nowadays you have so much on your mind with your career, your social life has exploded, your family needs you and you tend to see your boyfriend a bit here and there when time allows. In other words, you’ve started taking your boyfriend for granted.

You love each other, so there’s no need to do anything for the relationship, is there? Of course there is! For anything to be good it has to grow and develop.

You’re Always There

Just as annoying as never being there and taking him for granted, is always being there. He needs time for his hobbies, his friends and his family. Without you there. People need space to be themselves. You fell in love with him for who he was and the life he led, so don’t try to take that away from him by being everywhere. He needs time to miss you.

You Control Everything

You book his dentist appointments, you make sure he remembers his mother’s birthday, you choose his clothes for work, you insist his birthday is celebrated the way you want it to be celebrated and you pick the furniture at home. The only thing is, he’s an individual. If you remove the individual there’s nothing left. Sooner or later he will ly come to hate you for it as well, as people want to be loved for who they are, not who you want them to be.

You Don’t Need Him

As couples we should complement each other; help balance each other. However, some women have gotten it into their heads that if they show any sign of needing their man to do anything for them, they’re inferior. If they can’t reach the thing on the top shelf, they climb a ladder. If they can’t open something, they use forceps.

If their bags are heavy, they get a trolley. If they get scared when watching a horror movie, they turn on the light. Because low and behold they can do that. It’s just, asking someone for help ever so often doesn’t undermine your ability. We get it, you can do anything. That doesn’t mean you have to.

Especially if there is someone next to you dying to show his manliness. He wants to give you his jacket when you are cold, even if he knows if you start jogging you will be fine. He wants to hold the door for you, even if he knows you are strong enough to hold it yourself. He wants to show he can do something for you.

Just let him feel you need him. A little bit. So that he can feel he’s actually giving you something more than cuddles.

Here’s the thing, men think that they need to please you. If they aren’t sure whether they did or didn’t, they don’t know if you are truly happy with them and they start feeling unhappy with themselves. Tell him he’s a sex God. Just do it.

You Flirt with Everyone

If you are the catch, he will be so happy to have gotten you. If you shine when out at parties and men look twice as you go by, because you radiate confidence and warmth, he will feel such a stud. However, if you invite all the men to flirt with you when out, as opposed to showing him off to the world, well…he won’t be that happy, even if he’s the one you walk home with.

Show him off when you go out. Be proud to have him by your side. The prouder you are, the better he will feel.

He’s Just Grumpy

You feel your boyfriend hates you, but you don’t know why. You’ve tried all the above – you’re showering him in compliments, you show you need him, you take time out for him (whilst also having time for yourself), you let him run his life, you don’t talk about your ex and in general things seem fine, apart from that grumpiness. So what’s wrong? The best way to find out is to ask him.

You Ignore His Wishes

Whenever you ask what he thinks, you disregard what he says and go ahead with what you were planning to do anyway, without acknowledging his thoughts. You need to learn to compromise ever so often.

You Air Your Relationship with Everyone

If you tell everyone and their dog about your man and exactly what is going on in your relationship, he might end up a bit grumpy unless he’s as open about things as you are.

Conclusion

A relationship requires work and we often do things unintentionally that piss off other people, including our boyfriend. We need to learn to ask, as well as watch how he reacts to us to find out what works and what doesn’t.

Communication and relationships, anything else, is an art.

It’s not about pleasing someone constantly, but rather just as saying please and thank you, there are ways of doing things in a manner that’s respectful and where the other person feels appreciated.

Источник: //www.herinterest.com/my-boyfriend-hates-me/