7 Essential Relationship Skills

Communication
This category involves critically important skills; knowing
how to listen, sharing your thoughts and feelings honestly,
refraining from criticising and encouraging your partner
to share his or her feelings.

Conflict Resolution
Conflict resolution skills include
techniques such as staying focused
on the topic, staying focused on
the present, being ready to forgive
or apologise, knowing when to
take a break.

Knowledge of Partner
What’s your partner’s shirt
size? Favourite food? After
communication, simply knowing a
lot about your partner is a powerful
way of showing that you care, and
makes you better equipped to tend
to his or her ongoing needs.

Life Skills
Do you plan for emergencies? Do
you exercise and stay fit? Studies
show that people usually want
their partners to contribute a degree of security to a
long-term relationship. People also want their partners to
take good care of themselves.

Self Management
This is not the same as life skills. People who are skilled
at self management take inventories of their strengths
and weaknesses and always strive for improvement. They
know how to interpret disturbing
events in positive ways and they
work hard to reach their goals.

Sex and Romance
People with strong skills in these
areas enquire and care about how
to please their partner sexually,
set aside time for intimacy, refrain
from blaming their partner when
sex does not go smoothly, and
try to stay physically attractive for
their partner.

Stress Management
Do you know how to deal with
stress? If you do, you will be
better able to love and support
your partner.

NOW is the perfect time to
reorganize our priorities. All the time
people invest in properties, stock
markets, art and painting, collector’s
items, ancient cars, education and
many more. It is about time we
start investing in the one thing that
matters – our relationships! The truth
is, it is the people we are in close
and intimate relationships with who
will be around for us when we need
a shoulder to cry on, a helping
hand, or just their silent presence in
times of sorrow, trials and tribulation.
Remember, the best thing you can
do for yourself this year is to be a
person that is worthy of someone
else’s investment.

Written by:
Karen Kow, D.Mpsy.,
Founder & Director of Path To Excellence
For more information, visit:
www.karenkowassociates.karenkow.com