UNDERSTANDING FEELINGS IN RELATIONSHIPS

Why is it Important to Understand Feelings ? 

Many of us often wonder how to make our relationships more harmonious. We probably even zero-in on communication in a relationship as one key aspect to be worked upon. However, we are often unclear as to what in communication we need to improve. Sadia Saeed, in a lucid write-up on the ‘women’s web’ site, explains what is perhaps one of the most important pre-requisites of a healthy relationship – ‘understanding the other’s feelings”‘. We build relationships as we like to feel connected to others. We seek security and affection out of our relationships. Most importantly, we seek in relationships to be understood. Often, a relationship we are unhappy in is one where we don’t feel understood.

Taking a cue from this, we also need to communicate to the opposite person that we understand them. We need to acknowledge that his/her problems, feelings, fears and expectations are important, even if they conflict with ours. This could be difficult to do at first. However, if done, it can ease significantly the friction in a relationship.

This process of feeling understood and understanding feelings -of feeling validated and validating is an extremely important part of communication in any relationship. To know how we can both give and ask for validation please read the article “What Does it Mean to Validate Feelings” by Sadia Saeed.

Post contributed by: Malini Krishnan