To some people, talking about their emotions is like talking about something that doesn't exist. Some people think emotions are meaningless and unimportant. And I'd understand how someone could think that way, especially if somewhere along the way they learned that their emotions didn't matter no matter how much you talked about them.

Conflict is one of those things that makes people so horribly uncomfortable they would rather stomach their negative feelings than invite their trusted ones to support them. At its core, conflict is just a moment in which our needs are mismatched. The invitation to support each other through conflict is a commitment to grow together through change, especially when we’re coming from different places.

Have you ever had to give bad news to someone you care for? The dread can overtake you. In the hours leading up to the big conversation, you might notice your thoughts rushing around in your head yet somehow stuck on a single thought — “What do I do?” This kind of a reaction means you really care about how the conversation goes. It means you love this person enough to want to keep them from ever experiencing pain.