Safe Journal on Threads on sharing with your partner…

My therapist told me when your partner shares something emotionally vulnerable with you, imagine they’re throwing you a ball. Your task is to catch the ball and talk about the ball itself, not about how you feel about the ball.

This post popped up on my timeline right after I had the same situation at home. I had said something similar to my spouse (not as poetic, I know): “I told you I was having this problem and your response was how you had the same problem”.

The explained what they meant really well:

So if your partner tells you “I’m feeling really tired because I have a lot on my plate”, you should not respond with “I’m tired too”, but something like “I’m so sorry you’re feeling tired, you do have a lot on your plate” (catch), “what do you think has been the most tiring thing and why?”

For some of us it’s really hard to open up and share, being ignored makes it even harder.