May 19, 2022

Addressing Anxiety in Friendships: 4 Steps to Better Communication

38 minutes

This week we're coming in hot with a new episode all around the anxieties we feel in our friendships. If you're like us, we sometimes get a little in our head. We wonder if our friends are mad at us, if something we said was awkward, or generally replay things over and over until they start to well...take on a life of their own. We're covering a lot of things, but here are the key take-aways:

Sometimes it's better to cancel!

If you're upset, it's your job to communicate, not anyone's job to guess

Beware the kitchen sink: Think through (or write out!) what is at the root of the problem and don't pile on grievances in one conversation

Acknowledge what people are doing well too

If you find yourself in a place where you're making stories and there's something you need to address, follow these 4 steps for better communication:

This is what happened, what I experienced (simple, direct, observable)

This is what I made up about it (what you imagined)

This is how I feel about it (your choices are: joy, pain, anger, fear, shame, guilt, love)

This is what you (the other person) could do about it.

Get involved! We'd love to hear from you.

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