You’re Feelings Matter Too

So what happens when only one person’s voice or feelings are heard in a romantic relationship (or at least much more heard than their partner)? Well, things get wonky in the relationship if they weren’t already. 

This imbalance ends up touching so many if not all of the relationship: the communication, maintaining a living space, child rearing, socially, sexually emotional intimacy etc. And there are a whole host of reasons or situations where one person has lost their voice, or chosen not to speak. Sometimes the relationship starts off that way, sometimes it progresses that way. Some common reasons for this include: the couple is recovering from betrayal or relational hurt- so one person feels they have no right to voice an opinion; one person has a more dominant personality; cultural values/expectations;one person is trying to be the strong one for the family; one or both people may not have the skill, experience or awareness to express theirselves often stemming from childhood, etc. Whatever the cause, the end results tend to be similar- a disconnect and an imbalance in the coupleship and the family system. So until this is addressed, the dynamic exposed, and there is motivation and effort to change it from both people- things stay a bit lop sided. If you’re reading this and you relate, you’re feelings matter too.