I recently attended a meeting at work. I wanted to suggest a way of simplifying a process. As soon as I started talking, the same person interrupted me several times. I asked several times: “Wait a minute.” “Let me finish.” But I could hardly get a word in. By the time I've finally finished, I can see that the person is just waiting to criticise my idea. 🤯 I ask myself: What happened to our listening skills? I am also addressing myself when I write this. I, too, find myself becoming...

I recently came across a sentence in a blog post that got me thinking: Sometimes we unload our experiences and frustrations of the day onto our partner, hoping to simply "get it all off our chest" and feel better, without realising that we sometimes lose connection in the process. The unspoken expectation behind this is: “Now it's your turn — see how you deal with it.” I asked myself: Do I do that too? Yes. I often come home in the evening and talk in great detail about the frustrating or...

My husband and I are standing together in the kitchen in the evening, preparing dinner. When he asks me a question, I answer briefly and concisely in a slightly irritated tone. He doesn't respond. Later, during dinner, I apologise, explaining that I didn't mean to snap at him like that. He accepts my apology and thanks me. A little later, he asks, smiling: “Tell me, was it really about the butter, or was there something else behind it?” The fact that we can discuss such moments so calmly...