4 reasons why you should not give your partner the silent treatment

Why silent treatment should have no place in your relationship with your boo. The term silent treatment is actually as it sounds – the ac...

Why silent treatment should have no place in your relationship with your boo.

The term silent treatment is actually as it sounds – the act of muting up and refusing to converse or communicate your feeling when you are hurt or unhappy or discontented about something.

In romantic relationships, it is a method of psychological punishment and manipulation that many partners have used or experienced at some point, whether or not they were aware of it.

But here’s the thing about blatantly ignoring your partner when they try to communicate with you: it’s immature, inconsiderate, cruel, and it’s downright emotionally damaging.

And here are reasons why you should absolutely avoid treating your partner this way.

playImagine being in a relationship with someone whose idea of dealing with hurt is to clamp up and say nothing no matter how much you prod. (GoodHouseKeeping)

1. Destroys communication

A relationship where issues do not get discussed is not a healthy one and you do not need this.

Instead of clamping up and denying your partner the opportunity of clarifying situations, it is better to tell them to give you a bit of time.

And make sure you do not let it drag on for too long. Don’t let communication in your relationship suffer such destructive hits.

2. Resentment

If you constantly resort to withdrawing into a shell when something happens in your relationship, you’re indirectly telling your partner that communication with them is not worth it.

And imagine being in a relationship with someone whose way of dealing with issues is to sulk and refuse to say anything for days on end.

Such behaviour leads to resentment. Undiscussed issues that leave room for resentment to grow.

3. Intimacy suffers

It goes without saying that a relationship wherein one partner is resentful and the other refuses to communicate will suffer in intimacy.

playSilent treatment in relationships has also been referred to as a form of emotional abuse. (VideoHive)

4. Emotional abuse

The act has been severally classified as a way of emotionally abusing your partner.

American Therapist, Dr Kurt Smith writes on this and says

“If you need to remain quiet for management of your anger, then staying silent is being smart.

“What separates the silent treatment from a good conflict management skill is the intent behind it and how long it lasts.

When it's used to hurt or punish, then it's bad. When it goes past a few hours, which is long enough for all of us to cool down and get past any hurt feelings, then it can become abusive.”

All in all, disputes in relationships are not avoidable but properly managing these disputes with communication and positive actions will help build better stronger bonds.