Sometimes, emotions can get pent up inside of us to the point where we don’t even know what’s going on anymore. Are we angry? Disappointed? Hurt? Sad? All of the above? Instead of lashing out at someone or letting something ruin your day, try to practice self-reflection. Practice identifying your emotions, and structure it into a sentence. For example, if you get into an argument with your spouse, they might label you as “angry”, when it’s not totally accurate. The real reason may be, “I am disappointed, because he showed up late to the movie. And I am hurt, because I feel like this is a sign that he doesn’t care enough to show up on time.”

If you practice doing this, you should improve your communication skills with your partner, and everyone else in your life. Having good relationships makes a huge difference in our happiness and quality of life. So this is definitely one worth doing.