Five Common Relationship Mistakes (and how to work through them)

We don’t know about you but we’re ready requiring some much needed sunshine.

It sounds like heaven to be at the beach with our families for the week. We relax, we play, we connect in ways we don’t in our everyday busy lives. Then by day three, all of the togetherness can feel a bit too together-y.

With Spring Break here in PC, we thought we’d share what we’ve found to be the five most common relationship mistakes. Want to make your relationship better? We dare you.

1. Trying to change the other person - If you’ve ever tried to change someone, you’ve probably realized it’s exhausting and it doesn’t work. When we actually let other people be themselves (so nice of us, right?), the easier it is for all of us.
2. Digging up the past - Drama with the people you love? We can keep reliving the same old, often annoying, disappointing stories over and over. Or, we can practice meeting people where they are today and move forward.
3. Mind Reading - Our Queen, Brene Brown, says “clear is kind.” Sometimes we don’t ask for what we want, or don’t say what we need to say because we think we already know how the other person is going to respond. What if instead of guessing or assuming, we actually checked in?
4. Comparing them to someone else - No one wants you to compare them to anyone else (cue the shame spiral). Period.
5. Focus on what you see as their flaws - What you pay attention to grows. Obvi, if this is where your focus is, that’s all you’re going to notice.

Here’s the thing: the quality of your relationships is determined by the quality of your thoughts about the other person. This is where we have to be the CEO of our big, beautiful human brains and direct them toward all the reasons we love/care for/tolerate our peeps.