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How can couples reverse the buildup of resentment once they notice it?

Last Updated: 20.06.2025 05:52

How can couples reverse the buildup of resentment once they notice it?

By internalizing that responding with kindness is strength, not weakness.

By deciding to stop with the criticism and the nagging and instead say thank you for everything you do for me. Thank you for loving me.

By resolving to listen with curiosity rather than defensiveness.

My boyfriend wants to break up over too many petty arguments. To me, they are molehills because I truly love him & don't really think twice about them. If he loved me would he work through it?

By taking turns talking.

By learning to validate what the other is feeling. “I can absolutely see why you feel this way.”

By keeping in mind it’s OK to have different opinions and different experiences, and they both matter in equal measure.

How exactly do things get smuggled into prison? Does the sender hide it inside something else very well? Does someone put it in their butt? Do the prisoners make deals with the officers?

By giving up the notion that someone has to “win” or that anyone loses by saying “you are right”, “I am sorry”, or “I can do better.”

By wanting to truly understand each other, despite feeling unheard.