Build Your Resilience in Conflict: Three Proven Strategies

Build Your Resilience in Conflict:  Three Proven Strategies

Very few of us engage in conflicts with confidence and ease.  In fact, most people fear conflict. Conflict avoiders are all around us. So are conflict magnets, or people who seem to thrive on drama and conflict. They don’t stir things up because they enjoy conflict. Typically, they’re not skilled at engaging appropriately in conflict, and internal triggers fuel actions that inflame conflicts. Conflict isn’t typically in anyone’s comfort zone, but there are strategies to help us be more resilient in conflicts.

Best. Gift. Ever. (In Three Words)

Best. Gift. Ever. (In Three Words)

My kind and patient husband and I continue to learn each other’s love languages, the constant care and feeding of one another, how we each deal with stress, etc.  This was a busy week for us both. We were gone last weekend and leaving town again this weekend. Between clients, I’m running errands for my business as well as my personal life.  Scheduling appointments, painting a bedroom, planning travel, managing my staff, running to meetings, and so on, is exasperating. Stressed, exhausted and under pressure, I catch myself straying from the advice I give clients on how to manage stress-related conflict.  I used to think love alone was the key to successful relationships, but I’ve changed my mind. It starts with three little words.

Four Timeless Ways to Cultivate Respect in a Polarized World

Four Timeless Ways to Cultivate Respect in a Polarized World

Between social media and news, we’re bombarded with conflict. In fact, negative emotions are at record levels across the globe. Interpersonal tension is inescapable. It’s stressful. Interactions with perfect strangers can have us walking on eggshells.  We’ve all seen how one misstep can set off a firestorm of public shaming.  I’m not talking about political correctness. I’m referring to basic respect. Three octogenarian strangers in a waiting room agreed, and shared some age-old lessons for fostering respect in our polarized world.