You have probably encountered the silent treatment in relationships, where your partner will ignore you, pretending that you’re not there.

For decades, this has been a common practice among people. The ultimate question in mind though is, "How do we deal with it?" Well, don’t fret; here are 5 steps that show you how to deal with the silent treatment in relationships.

Step 1: Confirm Your Suspicions.

First, you must deduce whether your partner is really giving you the silent treatment or not; because if your partner isn’t really ignoring you, this might cause greater problems than the problem you’re trying to solve.

Who knows, you and your partner might just have been too busy!

Step 2: Find The Cause.

Know what triggered the silent treatment; there has to be something that might have angered or frustrated your partner that he or she resorted to ignoring you.

Note that every single detail counts, as the smallest things can really turn everything upside down. This is an important part to deal with the silent treatment in relationships, so you’d better trace down everything you have done.

Step 3: Apologize Right Away.

Once you have taken note of what you’ve done, it’s time to apologize. This is the most crucial stage to handle the silent treatment in relationships, so you must know surely what triggered it, or you’ll just get into deeper trouble that you have been.

Remember that the very nature of this problem won’t let your partner come to you and talk; you have to act for yourself and talk to your partner, or else not one thing will happen, making this situation worse, to the point that it might even go beyond repair.

Step 4: Apologize Anyway.

If you weren’t able to exactly locate your error, try offering a general apology instead; tell your partner that you’re sorry for whatever wrong you have done and want to set things right.

Ask what you have done wrong to receive such a cold treatment. Remember that you have to be sincere but you must not act like a doormat doing so.

Step 5: Talk About It.

The next thing you should do is to discuss your explanation for what you have done to make your partner angry or frustrated.

You have to let your partner see your perspective, but be prepared; your partner might not see your side of the story. In fact, your partner might not even want to start the conversation and just ignore you. If this is the case, just let it go and let time heal.

You've got to decide what's more important. Is it getting your partner to agree to your side of the story, or saving the relationship? Sometimes, setting your ego aside can help in fixing the issue.

Follow these steps and you’ll find yourself knowing how to deal with the silent treatment in relationships.