Successful Relationships Reading Corner
This week, we concluded our 5-part series by describing how to deal with decisions and disagreements in your relationship. Here are some writers who offer varying opinions on this issue.
How To Make Happier Joint Decisions With Your Partner (In 5 Easy Steps) “It’s time to reframe joint decision-making not as a negotiation or a compromise but, instead, as a whole new collaborated idea. Instead, you need to think of joint decisions as a triangle. Think of yourself and your partner as each being at one of the points at the base of the triangle, and your joint solution is actually the third point at the top of the triangle. Neither of you knows what this might be yet because you have to discuss options and ideas to get there. It’s an unknown quantity at first, and you’re working together to figure out what it is.”
The Art of Solving Relationship Problems “Unsettled problems are a major source of stress, stress that can not only undermine your relationship, but your diabetes management as well. Research has shown that successful relationships are not those that necessarily have fewer problems, but those that have found effective means of solving the problems that come up. Here is a 6-step process for tackling and solving those problems in your relationships.”
Learning to Make Joint Decisions “Learning to make joint decisions is an important part of any long-term romantic relationship. While decisions start small, with tonight’s supper, they get bigger, through the colour of the bathroom to whether to have children, how to manage childcare, and whether to move abroad to support one partner’s career, for example. Developing a reliable basis for decision-making and discussion will provide a good foundation for a long-lasting relationship.”