09/24/2024
"You are not required to set yourself on fire to keep other people warm." - Unknown
People avoid conflict because they do not want to lose the other person in the disagreement or they have learned to avoid negative emotions all together. The part people miss is that by avoiding conflict in relationships we also rob ourselves from the opportunity of digging deeper into our relationship and connecting further with others.
Healthy conflict is important to building relationships and getting to know one another. Is there a risk that when we call someone out on something that they will become upset? Yes. Is it possible that the conflict could lead to that person not being in your life? Yes.
Storms like in life cannot be avoided but we alone can decide how we deal with them. We can resolve the conflict by getting things off our chest or we can continue to live in the overthinking, rumination, and worry. It is not our responsibility to regulate the emotions of others nor are we able to, but we can assess whether this relationship is healthy for us. If the people around us cannot make the space for safe communication and resolution it is then important to decide whether we need a greater intervention or if the relationship serves us.
