I enjoy sitting with my girls and having a nice glass of wine, discussing all things from work, politics, and family and, of course, man friends.Oh man friends, how you drive us nuts?You would think we all reach a certain age where man issues are long gone, but in my lifespan, I have come to realise that women and men really do not communicate the same. I’m sorry for the generalisation and maybe you are in a relationship where everything has come out seamlessly and have never had to deal with any of the common miscommunication issues but you are maybe in the 5%.Recently, one of my girlfriends entered a new relationship and to say she is committing atrocious miscommunication crimes would be an understatement. I won’t go into details out of respect for her, but she knows how much humour she has brought into my life this week because she couldn’t see what she was doing wrong and why her partner wasn’t happy with her.So she and I had good conversations after it seemed like this could lead to further issues, and we realised to have a successful relationship you really need to sit down with your significant other and talk about what is bothering you. Do not let it simmer below the surface since that leads to passive aggressiveness in the form of snide remarks and immature actions.The real advice I can give to couples is that make “breaking up” or “taking a break” one of the very last options when going through trouble in a relationship. It is an easy way out and doesn’t allow you to dig into deeper issues and realise what is actually going on. When you realise someone is worth it, you will sit beside each other, or take a moment to think and come back to the table ready to discuss your feelings.Personally, I have never had trouble telling people how I felt about them. However, in relationships you have to be able to express yourself in a way that doesn’t hurt the other person. People always seem to want to either keep it within themselves or lash out but there has to be a way to communicate without hurting each other further and really getting to the core of the issue.So ladies and gentlemen, please just talk it out! I know men are giving me the evil eye, but I know a lot of guys that are in a serious relationship and given the time and space to express themselves can and it helps build a better relationship.Also, people for the sake of all that is good on this earth, please put up boundaries with outside people…but that’s a topic for another day.So 21st century ladies, are you talking enough in your relationships?
