• Every relationship can experience moments of disconnect, but it’s how you work on repairing it that really matters. Licensed Associate Marriage and Family Therapist Becky Ivory from White Peaks Therapy came on Good Things Utah to share her five simple steps to improving hard conversations.
    • 1. Notice when your emotions go high
      • Ivory says first take note of your frustration, anger and/or sadness. What are you feeling, and do you feel highjacked by those feelings?
    • 2. Do nothing
      • Once you’ve identified your emotions, she says, sit back. As tough as it is to ‘do nothing’ Ivory says when you are awash with emotion it’s best to process before you act.
    • 3. Figure out what happened for you.
      • Now assess the situation. Once you sit back, take stock of what happened, what you are still feeling in the moment and what is it that caused you to feel that way.
    • 4. Put yourself in the other person’s shoes.
      • This is the most important part of the process according to Ivory. This is when you ask yourself things like, “maybe they didn’t have time to put the dishes in the dishwasher?” or “what kind a day was this person having when they did something to upset me?”
    • 5. Go ahead with the conversation.
      • Now you are ready to go ahead with the conversation with understanding and empathy. Ivory says if you typically feel frustrated in these moments, make sure it’s not about being right or ‘winning’. It should always be about understanding the other person.
  • If you would like more information about White Peaks Therapy or you would like to make an appointment to see their therapists, please visit their website at www.whitepeakstherapy.com