Ways To Protect Your Relationship From Negativity Bias
                     Ways To Protect Your Relationship From Negativity Bias
It is not hard to imagine how negativity can be damaging for a healthy relationship. According to the
specialists  for  counselling  services  in  Waterloo,  the  problem  is,  we  see  so  many  examples  of
negative interactions between couples - on television, in movies, in real life - that nagging, teasing,
criticizing, or speaking poorly of our partners can begin to seem like normal behaviour.
And sure, possibly negativity is “normal” or at least common in a majority of relationships - but that
does not mean it is helpful. In fact, scientific research shows us that negative words, attitudes, and
interactions can be extremely detrimental to the integrity of a relationship and tear it apart from the
inside out.
Here is a general rule to live by: you can’t deal with a problem if you aren’t aware of the problem.
So, the 1st step in reducing the amount of negativity within your marriage is to turn out to be more
consciously aware of it.
Pay  attention to  your  negative  thoughts,  words,  feelings,  and  behaviours  you  have  and  exhibit
toward your spouse. Mull over writing them down in a journal for a few days so you can look back at
them with a little objective insight. This experiment in itself may be enough to begin shifting your
attitude from the negative toward the positive. Be certain to approach it with a sense of curiosity
instead of self-judgement, and trust that you and your spouse are doing the best you can.
The following are some tips recommended by marriage counselling experts that can help strengthen
your relationship:
 Be Grateful
Consciously write and talk about the things you are thankful  for  about your marriage and your
spouse.
 Be More Forgiving
This entails offering forgiveness to your spouse and yourself. If you have old hurts that need to be
uncovered, mull over working with a professional for couple counselling who can provide you and
your spouse the space to discuss these issues and introduce you to effective tools to deal with them.
 Be Kind
Yup! It can actually start that simply. Give genuine compliments, do a favour, speak kindly regarding
your spouse to other  people,  carry  out  random acts  of  kindness  such as getting a small  gift or
cooking a special meal “just because” - much like you probably did back when you were still dating!
Even if you do not feel like being kind to your spouse, at times, doing something thoughtful or kind
for him or her can really start to shift your energy.
It may be helpful to remember the so-called magic ratio found in happy marriages. That is, for every
one negative interaction a happily married couple has, there are at least five positive ones that
effectively balance it out or even mitigate the negative interactions’ effect.
Are you concerned about the level of negative interactions you and your spouse share and worried
about the way it is affecting your relationship? Coca Psychotherapy has the best psychotherapist in
Kitchener that you can consider approaching!