Exercises to improve communication in difficult situations.

Difficult situations are moments of crisis that can put communication within the couple to the test. In these moments, it is important to have effective tools to address these conflicts adequately and prevent the situation from worsening. In this sense, there are exercises that can help improve communication in difficult situations, which are presented below.

Identify irrational thoughts: Irrational thoughts are those that lead us to perceive a situation in an exaggerated or distorted way, and can generate an inappropriate emotional response. To improve communication in difficult situations, it is important to identify these thoughts and try to change them for more rational and realistic ones.

An exercise to identify irrational thoughts consists of making a list of the thoughts one has in a difficult situation and analyzing whether they are rational or not. If you identify irrational thoughts, you can try to change them for more rational ones. For example, if you think "this is the worst thing that has ever happened to me", you can change it to "this is difficult, but I can find a solution".

Pay attention to the other person without interrupting or judging:

• Repeat in our own words what the other has said to make sure we have understood correctly.

• Ask questions to go deeper into what the other is expressing.

• Validate the other person's feelings and show empathy.

One exercise to practice active listening is to choose a topic that is important to both partners and that generates strong emotions, such as a discussion about finances or children. During the conversation, each partner should practice active listening by following the steps described above:

• Identify the emotion being felt.

• Express the emotion clearly and directly, without attacking or blaming the other.

• Make a concrete, clear and realistic request.

• Listen to the other person's response and seek a compromise.

An exercise to practice assertive communication is to choose a topic that generates tension in the couple and practice assertive communication following the steps described above. For example, if you are arguing about the distribution of household chores, you can express your emotion assertively by saying, "I feel overwhelmed with all the chores I have to do around the house and I feel like I need more help. C