Relationship Issues

When you have a complicated relationship, life can feel stressful and draining. Maybe you have been caught off guard by problems in your relationship even though they feel familiar to you. Dysfunction is like this – it can keep us off balance and make us feel so frustrated we want to scream. But there are several ways that you can deal with a complicated relationship and not let it run your life any longer. Tips for Dealing with a Complicated Relationship   The dysfunction in a complicated relationship could be deeply rooted, widespread, and related to many different factors. It’s often best to discuss your complicated relationship with a Christian counselor who can give you an outside, judgment-free perspective. You can also take steps like the ones described below to reduce your stress, deal with a complicated relationship, and prepare yourself for meetings with the difficult individual. 1. Perform a Self-Check Dysfunction in complicated relationships is rarely relegated to one person. If you bear even 1% of the burden of dysfunction in your relationship with the difficult person, you can make changes that will bring health into the relationship. This is why you need to perform a self-check to learn what you can control. Consider the following example. A father drinks during a holiday gathering, and eventually becomes irritable and begins to criticize his adult daughter. The daughter had quietly tolerated it in the past but developed resentment in her heart toward her father. To make a change at the next holiday gathering, she could excuse herself after dinner, so she would not be exposed to her father’s irritation that leads to criticism. That’s the 1% that she can control. Here is another example. You may refrain from voicing your opinions in an attempt to keep the peace. But [...]