Do You Show Love and Respect in Your Relationship?

We were at one of our groups discussing relationships with a woman who is in a happy marriage of 53 years. She shared her thoughts that it is the seemingly simple things that make a marriage work.

She felt that often relationship success can come down to partners speaking with respect, love and kindness in their tone of voice, and that this creates an environment for loving interactions.

She asked if we have noticed how some people speak with each other, and how disrespectful, even denigrating their approach to their partner is. It was her contention that this behavior leads to many of the problems people have.

We have to agree. We have seen it too frequently. One partner will be dismissive and often critical in words and tone of voice. This seems to create a defensive posture in the partner being treated this way, and often sets up an argumentative tone in the relationship, or at the very least a passive-aggressive response in the partner.

How does this happen with partners who love each other and have chosen to be together? And even more important, how can this be changed?

It’s an odd phenomenon that we humans frequently treat the ones we love and feel safest with in the least loving manner. Too often, we see and hear of relationships where, after the heady, hallucinatory courtship period has passed and people feel committed, they feel safe enough to criticize their partner.

It is as though once we know we are loved, we can share all that is wrong or bothers us. We can let out our negative energies because we are sure of not being left. This happens frequently between parents and children, and can also come forth with mates.

We all mumble under our breath at times about how other people should behave – they need to be managed and controlled, told to pick up their litter and drive properly, keep their voices down and their kids under control.

Unfortunately, this form of thinking often leads to a change in attitude toward our loved ones as well. When we speak without honor or respect, our attention shifts, and more and more we see the negative and become critical. Without realizing it, our focus can change and that which we love recedes behind the screen of the imperfections we are looking at.

Don’t let that happen. It’s a partnership, for goodness sake, not a social correctness test requiring 100% to pass. We’re all flawed human beings.

To return to your feelings of love and regard, start listening to yourself. Are you expressing the love that you feel toward your partner? When was the last time you expressed that to them or to yourself for that matter? What is it you really feel toward them, and is it being communicated in your words and actions?

Whether you are the person who is being criticized or the one acting in this manner, the same inner listening is required. Work with yourself. Listen to yourself. When those irritations arise, use them to examine your own quirks and expectations. They are like the pains your chiropractor induces to straighten your spine. You should have learned by now that you can’t change other people, so that only leaves yourself.

Once you have truly reviewed and become aware of your own inner feelings, match them to what you are saying and doing. Do they match? Do you spend time letting your partner know all the good and beauty you see in them? Do you show your love in the way you treat them?

For most people, it feels good to express appreciation and regard to those we love. Similarly, constantly complaining and pointing out the negative fills us with bad feelings and dissatisfaction.

Honest communication done without blame, with the true intention to share with your partner what you feel and think, leads to intimacy and union. Without this, criticism and lack of kindness in word and deed lead to estrangement and distance. We all protect ourselves when we feel attacked. If your partner is to be your companion, the one always on your side, you cannot treat them as the adversary.

Make it a practice to speak your love with words of appreciation, a tone of voice of respect and an honoring of the person who is your partner. This will make you feel as good as it does them!

Read Our Guest Post on 100% Acceptance

Successful Relationship Reading Corner

In this week's blog, we asked if you show love and respect in your relationship. These articles cover different aspects of this very important aspect.

The Importance Of Tone "Several weeks ago, I was editing together some video footage for a home movie and was surprised to discover how irritated, negative, and just plain mean I sounded when talking to my wife. I remember most of the interactions that were filmed but not any of the feelings I was quite clearly projecting."

It’s not what you said, it really is how you said it, new study finds "There’s an old phrase that couples often use when something one partner says spawns an argument — 'it’s not what you said, it’s how you said it.' Though some may just see the phrase as an excuse, there may be some truth to it as far as marital success is concerned."

Why ‘It’s Not What You Say, But How You Say It’ May Be the Best Relationship Advice "'It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.' I know my husband and I have uttered this cliché phrase in multiple exchanges, and it’s become the one thing in our marriage that we strive to work on the most. Here’s why: When the content of what’s being said isn’t offensive, but the way it’s spoken is hurtful, it’s easy for an offhand comment to turn malignant. And that’s a problem."

Spreading peace one relationship at a time
Phil and Maude
 
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