If you answered ‘Yes’, then you might want to change your patterns as recent research* suggests that when one partner stonewalls or shuts down emotionally, it is a serious sign of distress in the relationship

Breaking this pattern once it has become ingrained is hard but not impossible.

Here are a few things you can try:

Be honest. Own up if you are a habitual nagger or stonewaller and think about why this might be. Often naggers feel abandoned and stonewallers feel inadequate. If you are a nagger think about reducing the number of requests you make a day. If you are a stonewaller, practice voicing your thoughts and feelings more often.

Use “I” not “you”. Whenever you want to talk about what your partner has or hasn’t done – mention how it made you feel rather than using accusations or hurling insults. Avoid any statements that start with “you never…” or “you always…”

Put connection first. Disagreements are easier to sort out if you feel like you are on the same side. Look for ways to connect before tackling difficult conversations. Pay each other a compliment, have a hug, make love or do something fun. It can be easier to talk when you aren’t attacking or avoiding each other.

If conflict is an issue in your relationship – why not join my Life Lab’s course – 30 days to save your relationship?

You’ll find out how you can resolve conflict effectively without damaging your connection. You’ll also learn to identify your typical conflict style and discover ways that you can act and respond to change the dynamic between you and your partner.

*A Meta-Analytical Review of the Demand/Withdraw Pattern of Interaction and its Associations with Individual, Relational, and Communicative Outcomes. Paul Schrodt et al. Communication Monograhps. 2014.