How 2 have a clean fight

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Relationships are always tricky. Sooner or later we'll clash with those closest to us.

Cartoon character boxing

Learning to deal with conflict is essential to all healthy relationships: with our families, partners or friends.  Find out how to fight and still be friends.

  1. Never attack the person for who they are - only what they have done.
  2. Stick to the issue.
  3. Try not to yell.
  4. Do your best not to interrupt. You have a right to express yourself, but also a responsibility to hear the other person out.
  5. Remember that if you really love someone, you will spend a good part of your life saying 'sorry' to them.
  6. Recognise when you are being automatically defensive.
  7. Never fight in public.
  8. Don't be afraid to lose. You could win an argument and lose a relationship.
  9. Really try to understand not just what the other person is saying, but also how they are feeling.
  10. Remember the power of forgiveness. It is always hard, but in essence it lets go of hurts it has every right to clutch tightly.

(adapted from 'Loving against the odds' by Rob Parsons. You can buy it here: http://www.careforthefamily.org.uk/resources/addprod.asp?productid=50&catcode=1)

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