The Simple Phrase Husbands Use To Keep Their Marriage Healthy
Make your partner smile more.
LuckyImages | Canva When you tell your wife you are truly listening, it’s important to mean it. This is because your wife knows when you are paying attention and when you are not.
You might look like and act like you're listening, but your wife intuitively knows that you're tuning her out! Women know what it looks like when a man is only half-paying attention to them. Especially when that man is her husband.
So, what should you do?
Men have a stronger tendency to tune in to only one thing at a time. So, when your partner wants to talk with you, you must decide if now is the best time to tune in to her. And if not, what will you do about it?
The simple phrase husbands use to keep their marriage healthy.
Ask yourself, "Can I give my wife 100% of my attention right now?"
If the answer is no, don't just tune her out or tell her "no!" Instead, lovingly tell your wife you want to give her all your attention and then together determine a time in which you will be available to do so.
For instance, she might try to talk to you while you are watching a football game, working on a project, or reading the newspaper.
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If you are already involved in an activity that has your attention, lovingly tell her you want to give her 100% of your attention and decide, together, when that time will be.
Marriages require both partners to be heard, and present for each other. And this can look like being emotionally aware enough to know when you can and cannot give your wife all of your attention.
When you have chosen to listen to your wife, give her absolutely 100% of your attention. That means putting the phone down and pausing the TV. Make sure you're making eye contact and giving the right cues, i.e. nodding along and showing the right emotion, to show you're locked in.
Do nothing else but look at her, listen, and really hear what she is saying. You will be amazed by how quickly she wraps it up when you do this because she knows she is being heard.
Listening is essential to a healthy marriage. According to a study that had different couples communicate with each other, attentive listening while the other partner expressed stress was significantly linked with better dyadic coping behaviors and higher relationship satisfaction.
It is only when your attention is divided that your wife intuitively knows you are not hearing her, and she will demand more time to express herself. Try it out today and see if this makes your wife happy. When your wife is happy, your marriage, and subsequently your life, will become much happier.
May you and your wife hear and honor one another's needs — and be happy together!
Carol Tuttle is a teacher, speaker, gifted healer and the best-selling author of six books.