Conflict occurs when two people or groups have different needs, motivations or values. It's a healthy part of all relationships. You shouldn't be afraid of conflict, because you're going to encounter it throughout your life. Instead, you should improve your conflict-resolution skills. All that really matters is how you handle the conflict, not the conflict itself.
Manage Stress
When you're arguing or in conflict with someone, you might feel stress. The situation might escalate into yelling, name-calling or worse, but that doesn't have to happen. If both people regulate their emotions and pay attention to each other's feelings, they'll be more likely to resolve the conflict calmly, according to Helpguide.org. If you need to take a break or a time out from the conversation, then take one. It's better to deal with conflict when you have a clear head. Remember, once you say something, you can't take it back. You can only apologize, and words hurt.
Work Together
Many times when people feel they're in conflict, they could work together so they both "win," reports the Conflict Resolution Network. To see if you can figure out your conflict so both parties feel as if they won, determine what the actual needs of each are and see if they can't both be met. This doesn't necessarily mean you have to compromise.
For instance, two coworkers are in conflict, because they both want Friday off, but only one person take can off at one time. If they talked about it, they might realize that one of them needs the morning off to go to a doctor's appointment and the other needs to afternoon off to go out of town. If they work together, both needs can be met.
Pick Your Battles
It takes energy to be in conflict and resolve conflict, reports the Conflict Resolution Center. Helpguide.org recommends that you pick your battles instead of wasting energy on conflicts that don't really matter, which is relevant for work and home situations. If you're really passionate about something or you don't feel as if something is right, fight the battle. If you're just arguing for argument's sake, then you're wasting a lot of time and energy that you could be using productively.
Creative Responses
The Conflict Resolution Center reports that using creative responses means turning conflict into opportunities. Instead of looking at things as if there's always got to be a right and wrong, change your pattern of thinking. Realize that everything isn't so clear-cut. A positive attitude can reduce conflict and arguments swiftly. If you realize that you and your partner don't agree on something, look at it as a possibility for both of you to learn from the other instead of trying to figure out who's right and who's wrong.
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