Discover how to curb the habit of interrupting and foster healthier, more respectful conversations with your partner.
Have you ever been in a conversation with your mate, and in mid-sentence, your partner cuts you off because he or she either wants to finish your sentence or disagrees with what you’re saying?
Whether your mate interrupts you for either of those reasons or a different reason, it feels pretty horrible, especially if it’s done in front of other people.
I liken interrupting to a conversational ailment. True, it’s simply a habit we may have allowed to grow, but its impact on a relationship can be devastating, especially if it happens chronically.
Used enough, our relationship starts to suffer and feel sick.
So, what is truly behind the act of interrupting? I think there are a few possibilities:
- The person who interrupts is so focused on being “right” that he or she wants to declare his or her “rightness.”
- The person has developed a habit of finishing his or her partner’s sentence because he or she is concerned the other person can’t remember the rest of the sentence and he or she wants to help his or her mate by filling in the blanks.
- The one partner processes ideas faster than the other and can become impatient for his or her mate to finish a sentence.
Whether the reasons we interrupt are some or all of the above, we must nip this bad habit in the bud.
Also, ask yourself, “Do I do this in other relationships?” If you don’t interrupt at work or in other relationships, it’s time to bring that skill set into your own home.
Having said all this, reducing and eliminating the habit of interrupting is not like a faucet you turn on and off.
It’s about decreasing the amount you interrupt significantly, and this takes some time and awareness. You have to pay attention to yourself.
You may take 2 steps forward and 1 step back, but you’re still ahead of the game.
No better time than now to work toward eliminating the ailment of interrupting!
If you find yourself taking more than 1 step back every conversation and you need some guidance on how to work on your communication skills with your mate, CONTACT ME to see how I can help