Avoid Fights With Your Partner Using the “eye Contact Only” Rule
A conversation can easily turn into a fight when you are distracted or doing more than one thing at the same time. Body language and eye contact are a huge part of communication, and when you can’t make full use of them during a conversation, it can often lead to an argument . Make sure that this doesn’t happen in your relationship by following the rule of “eye contact”: only have serious discussions when you can both look each other in the eye.
My premarital psychologist suggested this tactic after I told her that my fiance and I often fight in the car for some reason. She said this is actually quite common among couples because when you are driving, you are not (and should not) be fully engaged in a serious conversation. You don’t look him in the eye, and more importantly, don’t look him in the eye. So it’s easy to go wrong and let them get out of hand. She suggested that we make it a rule to have serious conversations only when we can look in the eyes, and not while driving, performing any actions on the computer or phone, preparing food or something else. Simply put, you want to make sure you are focused on the conversation.
Don’t get me wrong, driving is great fun too. Some of the best discussions I have had while traveling. But the idea is this: when you are discussing a sensitive topic, it is easy to make mistakes; there is a sense of distance. You need to be fully involved in the conversation in order to read each other well and empathize .