Besides the warmth and affection that forms the core of most relationships, individuals are likely to experience minor disagreements and tiffs when together. While this can be due to a range of reasons, one must know how to deal with it effectively.
In most cases when partners get into an argument with each other, one of them is likely to go silent and stop responding. This is called the silent treatment where the person refuses to talk and sometimes doesn’t even acknowledge the presence of the partner.
Silent treatment is often used as a tool to punish a partner or lodge a protest in a romantic relationship. While this may be the way to go for many individuals, experts suggest that this can take a toll on relationships.
According to therapist Lucille Shackleton, the silent treatment can be extremely toxic to relationships. Through a post on her Instagram page, Shackleton shared that a person giving the silent treatment may not have bad intentions and he just may need some break from the relationship.
The therapist insisted that one may take such a break but it must have a timeframe after which the partners should get together and discuss the issue. “Otherwise the silent treatment becomes stonewalling which is actually a covert form of control,” she added.
Shackleton highlighted that the person who is on the receiving end of silent treatment can get overwhelmed and may feel burdened to fix everything. “This isn’t fair because relationships are shared and both have a responsibility to work on issues,” the therapist added.
Shackleton suggested that if one is witnessing emotional flooding and needs time out of the relationship then it is better to inform your partner about it rather than resorting to the silent treatment. This will give the partner some time to react and would save him from taking the load of fixing the relationship.
In the end, if you are looking for a break, then better communicate with your partner and express your feelings to him.
