Written by Gay Hendricks, co-author of Hearts In Harmony, Ten Second Miracle, Learn To Love Yourself, and Attract Genuine Love.
Want To Feel Closer? How You Respond To Common Conversational Cues Can Make All The Difference...
Here's something you've probably never considered...
There's a conversation you're having every day, sometimes several times a day that may be creating distance between you and those you love.
In some cases, this conversation may be partly to blame for many failed relationships and friendships gone awry.
If it is, you're not alone. Many of us don't even realize that the way we handle casual conversation is actually pushing people away instead of inviting them to be close.
Here's what I mean...
If you ask someone important to you, "How are you doing today?"
And they respond, "I'm really feeling stressed."
What would you typically say next?
Would you tell them: "You'll feel better tomorrow. I was stressed last week, too. Let me tell you what happened..."
You're always stressed!
You may mean well by being reassuring. You may not intend to be dismissive by reminding them how often they complain.
When you change the subject toward yourself, maybe you're just trying to "relate."
But when someone tells you how they're feeling and you either dismiss, minimize or change the subject, what you're really doing is essentially (although unintentionally) communicating, I'm not interested in you or how you're feeling.
Ignoring Your Loved One's Feelings Will ALWAYS Have A Negative Effect On Your Relationship.
Here's Why.
What most people want from a relationship is to be acknowledged, and more specifically, to have their feelings acknowledged.
When you inadvertently ignore a loved one's feelings, it is destructive to your relationship.
In the future, that person may not want to discuss anything heart-felt with you because they will assume that you don't want to hear about it.
No one likes to feel like an annoyance.
They'll say they're "Fine," even when they're far from feeling fine.
And it only gets worse from there.
Over time, they will start to pull away.
They won't come to you to share anything of significance.
They won't trust you with their innermost thoughts.
They'll avoid having anything but the most shallow conversation with you.
Before you know it, they'll stop calling or coming by, and you'll be left wondering what happened to your relationship.
Relationships Grow And Erode According To How You Handle The "Feeling" Moment.
There's a little-known secret to having more intimacy in your life:
Your ability to create more love and good feelings between you and another person begins with knowing how to handle the "feeling moment" when it comes up.
The "feeling moment" is when your loved one shares how they're feeling with you.
Statements like: "I'm feeling tired/cranky/a little pissed/not myself today" are a moment of vulnerability and a really good opportunity for you to either grow in closeness... or retreat by turning away, even if subtly.
Here's the other part of the secret:
Most people don't want you to solve their problem or cheer them up. They want their feelings acknowledged.
When you acknowledge a person's feelings, they sense that you really see them for who they are and care about what they're going through.
They feel accepted. This invites them to open up, relax and trust you.
When you dismiss or minimize their feelings, you're inviting them to go elsewhere for true love or intimacy.
And this may all relate back to why some of your friendships seem to disconnect, why you're not particularly close with certain family members and why you're not experiencing a "Soul Mate" kind of romance.
Opportunities To Get Closer Happen In Ten-Second Windows Of Time.
After reading this, you may recognize that you've pushed intimacy away without intending to do so, and maybe now you're wondering how you can repair the damage and get close again.
I have some very good news:
You are never more than ten seconds away from a breakthrough in this important area of your life, no matter how many years you've spent unintentionally pushing others away.
I base this news on careful study of more than three thousand sessions in which real people healed real relationship problems.
When I recorded these sessions and timed the moment I observed the breakthrough taking place, I concluded that in most cases, it took less than ten seconds.
That's when I knew I had discovered something profound that was worth sharing far and wide.
In our Free Advice Newsletters, and in our eBooks and programs, Katie and I teach all about this extraordinary discovery and how I used it to develop the Miracle Moves that have the power to create an open space for harmony in any relationship.
These Miracle Moves will generate a flow of good feelings inside yourself and between you and the other people you care about, and will release the flow if it's been blocked.
Don’t suffer awkward, stifled conversations that leave you feeling misunderstood and dissatisfied.
Don’t wonder why a friendship faded, a love relationship grew distant, or why your family members seem so detached from you..
Click Here To Sign Up To Our FREE Advice Newsletters & Continue Your Journey To Love & Harmony
Warmly,
Gay Hendricks
About Katie and Gay Hendricks
Gay and Katie Hendricks have been leaders in the field of relationship transformation and body mind therapies for more than 45 years.
Gay holds a PhD from Stanford and was a professor of counseling psychology at the University of Colorado for 21 years.
Katie holds a PhD in transpersonal psychology and has been a pioneer of mind-body integration for over 40 years.
Together, they've authored 35 books, including some used as primary textbooks in universities around the world.
They've appeared on over 500 television and radio shows, including Oprah, CNN, CNBC, 48 hours and others.
They've co-facilitated countless seminars and workshops around the world for both individuals and couples looking to experience more ease and flow in their relationships.
Get More Advice from Katie and Gay Hendricks
Communication Mistakes That Kill Passion & What His Silence Doesn't Mean
Your Greatest Barrier To Attracting Genuine Love Is Not What You Think It Is
What Happened To The Incredible Connection The Two Of You Shared?
Phrases That Kill Intimacy - The Communication Mistake Of Not Listening
Are You In A Fake Relationship? Signs To Look For If It's Real Or Not
The Surprising Reason Why You Become Deeply Upset With Your Partner
The Ten Second Miracle
Relationships Flourish Or Wither In Ten-Second Windows Of Communication
"The world has sped up a lot in recent decades. We may feel that we don’t have a minute to think about things, so when things happen, we have to react instantly.
The first Ten-Second window following any pivotal interaction with another person is critical. Fear is felt in 1/10th of a second, but can wreak havoc the rest of the day, based on how we respond.
Our relationships can either flourish or wither, depending on what we say or how we choose to show up in those crucial moments.
When someone we care about shares a truth with us, the words we choose to respond with can either shut down intimacy, or open up deeper connection.
If we choose the wrong words, based on fear and pretense, we may set ourselves up for years of misunderstanding and bad feelings.
If we choose the right words, based on the authentic way we’re feeling, we create a space where we can breathe easy and feel connected, even if those words are difficult for us to say.
Your relationship hinges on how you handle these important moments, ten seconds at a time.
You may even say that your happiness in life depends on it."
Learning To Love Yourself
Loving Yourself Changes Your Life More Than Anything Else You Can Do
"The Learning To Love Yourself Special Bundle will help you learn the process by which you will free yourself of feelings of chronic dissatisfaction, will increase your self-esteem, and will allow you to feel at peace with your life and love.
It will help you transform ALL your relationships, no matter how difficult they are now, to be more open, loving, intimate and honest.
The transformation can be immediate, and can last a lifetime!
You will go from feeling criticized to feeling accepted and loved, even if the other person in your life does NOTHING AT ALL to change their behavior.
It will stop the cycle of the negative thoughts, arguments and worries, so you can feel at peace and enjoy open, genuine relationships free of drama and tension."
Attracting Genuine Love
What REALLY Prevents You From Attracting Lasting Love
" Here’s the truth about attracting genuine love in your life: It’s all about small inner shifts that have big, life-changing results.
And, when you make them, you can make every single dating mistake in the book and it won’t matter.
These inner shifts get to the root of what’s blocking you from finding true love (destructive beliefs, fears, doubts, insecurity and pain) and empower us to know what we really want and don’t want in life and love.
These love blockers run under the surface of all we say and do, and even though we often don’t realize it, they control who we attract and how we feel in our relationships.
It shows up in the men we date (unavailable, untrustworthy, jerks, deadbeats, cheaters.. you name it).. and in the way we feel with them (unfulfilled, disconnected, unsupported, lonely, fearful, incomplete…), and how we feel about ourselves (lonely, afraid, not pretty enough, not smart enough, anxious…)
And until we address those root causes, we will never change the way we experience love.
These shifts go deep, but with our guidance, they don’t have to be hard.
In fact, you can start making them right now, and see immediate progress in your love life.
You just need a guide that helps you identify what these shifts are, how to make them, and how to keep them.
Our program, Attracting Genuine Love, is that guide. And it’s guaranteed to help you make changes with lifelong results, if you are ready to make them."
Say Something, Be Heard!