Before you can choose the proper persuasion techniques in your relationship, you will need to consider what you want to change and what is causing the problem in the first place. Sometimes it’s not as simple as wanting something to change, you need to know what you’re up against.

What’s happened to you?

A lot of couples can undergo relationship troubles when there’s been a significant event that has affected them. The death of a family member, a pet, health problems, legal troubles, drug problems, and mental issues can all contribute to problems in a relationship when they’re not sufficiently handled. Take the time to inventory your past few months to see what may have been the trigger for the problems that you’re having right now. Think about the time frame of the problems that you are facing. Has it been a recent thing or have you been having troubles for a longer period of time?

What’s going on?

Having problems is so vague that you might want to sit down and really define what has changed for you in your relationship. Instead of saying that things aren’t good or that you wish things were better, what is happening right now that isn’t something that you like? Are you talking less? Are you seeing each other less? Is one partner abusive? Try to figure out the action that is causing stress in your relationship so that you have a focal point for further discussions.

This isn’t just about you

While you’re at it, you need to start asking your partner as well what they think the problem is. Sometimes you need that outside perspective in order to get a handle on the direction that you need to go in. Try to approach your partner not from the perspective of blame, but rather from the viewpoint that you want to make things better. This is not the time to say that someone is wrong, but that you want to figure out what is making you both unhappy.

Deciding that you’re the only one in the relationship whose opinion matters is an easy way to cause more problems – even when you don’t actually think that. Your partner does not want you to attack them for things that have happened and it can feel like an attack when you’re the only one doing the talking. You need to take the time to listen to your partner and really come to an understanding about what they need from you.

And what if your partner doesn’t think anything is wrong?

An interesting situation that you might find yourself in is when your partner decides and answers that nothing is wrong. And what do you do then? When your partner is obviously unhappy – distant, avoiding you, etc. – you will want to approach him or her differently. Sometimes making a date to talk and to figure out what you’re not happy will be all the impetus for your partner to start revealing what’s going on in their head.

They need to feel like you aren’t going to attack them for having problems with your relationship, so make sure that you allow them to have whatever feelings they have without saying that they are wrong. What you want to do is tell them that you’re genuinely interested in making your relationship better and that by finding out what they think, you’ll be able to make them happy as well.

When you have figured it out

It can take time to really determine what the real problems in a relationship are, but once you do, you need to take action immediately. This could come in the form of discussing each other’s needs and what solutions they might propose as well as sitting with your own feelings to see what solutions you might have for the other person. It all comes down to communicating with each other and seeing what the relationship needs to become stronger.

Some couples find that talking works well to solve problems, while others like to write down their feelings and then share them. Whatever seems to allow you both to express your feelings honestly and accurately – do that. What’s great about relationship problems is that most of them can be solved with a little patience and a lot of talking. You just need to get started.