If you want to be respected by your spouse, stop talking about these 10 things. “Opinion”
Respect is crucial in maintaining a healthy and happy marriage. It signifies valuing your spouse as a person and treating them with kindness, honesty, and consideration. However, it is easy to lose respect by saying or doing things that hurt your spouse’s feelings, damage their trust, or undermine their confidence. Here are 10 things to avoid discussing if you want to earn respect from your spouse:
1. Avoid constantly pointing out your spouse’s flaws or mistakes. Nobody is perfect, and focusing on their shortcomings can make them feel insecure and unloved. Instead, appreciate their strengths and achievements and handle conflicts constructively and respectfully.
2. Refrain from bringing up past relationships or exes. This can make your spouse feel jealous, insecure, or threatened. Focus on the present and future of your relationship, assuring your spouse that they are the only one for you.
3. While sharing personal or financial problems can seek support and advice, avoid overwhelming your spouse by constantly discussing them. Balance your attention between personal problems and your spouse’s needs and interests.
4. Avoid venting or gossiping about others with your spouse. Such behavior can reflect negatively on your character and make your spouse wonder if you criticize or complain about them behind their back. Find positives or constructive aspects of others to discuss instead.
5. When it comes to sexual fantasies or desires, be cautious about involving other people. Sharing such thoughts involving others can hurt your spouse, making them feel inadequate or betrayed, while also raising doubts about your fidelity. Seek professional help if these fantasies affect your relationship.
6. It is normal to have doubts or fears about the relationship, especially during challenging times. However, excessively expressing them can breed insecurity and hopelessness. Focus on discussing hopes and goals for the relationship or consult a counselor if needed.
7. Keeping secrets or lying damages the trust and honesty essential for respect. Apologize sincerely, explain your actions, and work on rebuilding the lost trust and respect that these secrets or lies caused.
8. While joking or using sarcasm can be fun, avoid making your spouse the target of hurtful or disrespectful jokes. Aim to create a positive atmosphere and ensure your jokes don’t attack their personality, appearance, abilities, preferences, or beliefs.
9. Be careful with demands or expectations you place on your spouse. Unrealistic or unfair expectations can overwhelm them, making them feel inadequate or trapped. Instead, express your needs and desires respectfully and work together to find compromises.
In conclusion, earning respect from your spouse requires mindful communication. By avoiding discussion of your spouse’s flaws, past relationships, personal or financial problems, complaints about others, sexual fantasies involving others, doubts or fears about the relationship, secrets or lies, jokes or sarcasm at their expense, and unrealistic demands or expectations, you can foster a healthy and happy relationship built on mutual respect.