Relationships Tips

Great Relationships: How to Create a Nag-Free Zone


Q: My wife and I have a good marriage that is being destroyed by nagging. I've tried to get her to stop and even begged her to stop. She won't stop, and it just makes me less willing to do the things she is nagging about. How can I get her to stop nagging?

A: I think I can help you to create a "nag-free zone" in your home. I will tell you in advance, however, that you may not like what I suggest. But you do sound desperate enough to try it, and it has worked well over the years.

I have rarely, if ever, seen a situation in which one member of a couple was nagging without the other member of the couple being irresponsible in some way.

They just seem to go together.

The situation is made worse when you try to tell her to stop. This is because it's rather like throwing gas on a fire and wondering why the fire did not go out since the gas was wet.

Nagging hurts both people

Whether it's a spouse or a parent, I've yet to meet the person who stays up late at night wondering "How many ways can I nag tomorrow? Let's make a list." It just doesn't happen. Believe it or not, nagging is no fun. Not for the "nagee," and not for the "nagger," either.

So, if you are still reading and listening, here's what to do.

First, you have to think in terms of breaking this cycle. As you so correctly identified, the more she nags, the less you do, and so she nags more, and you resist more. This creates a situation where a breakup is just matter of time.

Second, you need to keep at the very front of your mind the notion that nagging comes from fear. This has been verified by every nagger I have ever known. The fear is usually something like fear of not getting important things done, fear of not being taken care of, fear of not being cared for and loved.

So the next time you are feeling nagged, ask your self "What have I not taken care of?" Answer honestly, then step up and make a plan for fixing it.

Next, and this is the most powerful thing you can do, ask your spouse,

"What is scaring you right now?"

Be sure to ask it kindly and gently and not with an irritated or accusatory tone. Then listen. Take care of the fears. Then keep behaving in ways that continue to take care of the fears.

I hope you have the courage to try this at home. If you think about it, not only is this a strategy for creating a "nag-free zone," it's also a strategy for drawing the two of you closer.

For more tips and tools for creating and living a great relationship, visit leading relationship coach Jeff Herring'sSecretsofGreatRelationships.com


MORE RESOURCES:

Relationships, communication theme of Friday's Warner Robins council retreat
Macon Telegraph (blog)
After ending at 7 pm Friday, the retreat will continue Saturday from 8 am to 3:30 pm OV Brantley, a former attorney for Fulton County governmental bodies, told council members their internal relationships are important to strong operations and images.

and more »


Reflections: Relationships are gifts in life
GoErie.com
Life is relationship! It is impossible to be alive and not be in relationship. You are in relationship with everything around you. At this very moment, you are in relationship with the world around you through the breath you take, through the sights ...



CBC.ca

Depression Linked To Adolescent Bullying
Medical News Today
"Often the assumption is that problematic peer relationships drive depression. We found that depression symptoms predicted negative peer relationships. We examined the issue from both directions but found no evidence to suggest that peer relationships ...
Depressed Adolescents More Likely to be BulliedPsychCentral.com
Depressed adolescents likelier to be bulliedTimes of India
Depressed adolescents more likely to be targets of bullying: StudyHealthJockey.com
U.S. News & World Report -Expatriate Healthcare
all 46 news articles »


Cara Dorris '15: The fiction of relationship?
The Brown Daily Herald
Most people will tell you that there are two types of relationships at Brown: rigid, Facebook-official romances and hurried, efficient and occasionally chronic hookups. Though there are exceptions, most of us brag that we're too busy, even too selfish ...

and more »


PsychCentral.com

Optimal conversation lowers stress in relationships
Times of India
Young couples who easily engage in rewarding conversations with their partners, experience less relationship stress and higher satisfaction, say researchers. According to research from Kansas State University, young adults who have optimal conversation ...
Going With the Flow of Talk Brings Couples CloserPsychCentral.com

all 12 news articles »


Jamie Kennedy Talks Relationships, Valentine's Day Plans and Playing 'Cupid ...
Hollywood Reporter
As for his research of the role, the actor joked, "I went to Zales," before admitting, "I think I've been in enough relationships that that was my research." Not that he claims to know what he's doing. "Being in all of my relationships, I'm even more ...

and more »


Relationships Art Exhibit at the SCAHC Gallery in Sussex
NorthJersey.com (press release)
In the Relationships Art Exhibit, the Sussex County Arts and Heritage Council is asking artists to explore, well, relationships—any relationship. And what seems to be a traditional subject for art can prove to have numerous possibilities when viewed ...

and more »


Healthy relationship examples crucial for youth, experts say
Maxwell Gunter Dispatch
In the race to stop domestic violence, educating children before they date can provide the awareness for healthy relationships when they become adults. In the crucial years before youth start dating, parents and peers impact children's perceptions of ...

and more »


At NRC Hearing, Signs Of Improving Relationships
Fox Business
However, it offered several hints that personal relationships on the five-member commission may be improving less than two months after they boiled over at a pair of congressional hearings. The tensions have raised questions about the nuclear safety ...

and more »


Conflict helps your relationship
Adelaide Now
In relationships, conflict is often about unacceptable behaviour - but arguments aren't always a bad thing. The most common areas of conflict are finances, children, lifestyle and commitment. How it is handled can lead to greater intimacy or divorce.


Google News

home | site map
© 2010