Conflict is not a sign that a relationship is broken.
It is a sign that two real people with different histories and nervous systems
are trying to share a life.
The old pattern is to go to war.
You collect evidence.
You raise your voice.
You aim to be right, even if you both end up hurt and exhausted.
In many arguments, each person is defending a story their brain wrote
about what the other meant.
Often, both stories are incomplete.
Healthy conflict resolution starts with a different goal.
Not winning.
Understanding.
You slow down enough to hear what their reaction is really about.
You name what is happening inside you without turning it into an attack.
You look for the problem sitting between you
rather than making each other the problem.
Love, here, is remembering that you are on the same side,
even when your voices get tight.