Stop, Look, and Listen

October 2015

Strengthening Your Relationships: Part 2 - Stop, Look, and Listen

How Learning to Listen Saved My Marriage

Practice Exercise

A Special Thanksgiving Exercise

Thanksgiving is a time for all of us to open our hearts and be grateful for what is. Take a few moments to reflect on a family member where there has been strife. Reflect back on times that were really fun, sentimental or beautiful in some way. Reflect on the other person, and the qualities that you really appreciated in that moment. Let your heart feel warmth. Find 3 special moments when you liked, admired, or loved them. Let yourself enjoy these memories. Sometimes we forget.

This beautiful refection will help you be more open to listen to understand. You can do it before an important conversation and you'll notice that it makes you more open-hearted to the other person. Our listening skills go up the more our heart is open. This can be a really powerful exercise!

About Beverley Pugh

"Every joy is gain. And gain is gain, however small."

- Robert Browning

Beverley has been a practicing counsellor for over 30 years. She has worked extensively in Canada, Australia, Japan, and Thailand. Beverley currently has a full-time practice on the North Shore. Beverley has a highly intuitive ability to help people uproot core issues that are holding them back from moving forward to where they want to be in terms of their own self-growth. She works extensively with couples and families and individuals with numerous presenting issues.

Visit The Mastery Of Health and Happiness Website

Visit Beverley Pugh & Associates Counselling Services at

www.beverleypugh.com

Strengthening Your Relationships

Part 2 -
Stop, Look, and Listen

"Do you listen to understand or do you listen to make your point?" ~Bev Pugh

I was recently asked what my philosophy was around relationship counselling. Great question!!! So here goes: In relationship counselling, my focus is on the individual growth of each person as well as the growth of the relationship.

It is in our relationships that we have real opportunity to grow. And our relationships grow as we grow.

So many times I have heard people say they felt the other person heard their words, but was not really listening to what they said, and certainly didn't understand them. True communication is about connection. There are skills involved in this.

Often our own opinions, agendas, mood, worries, and beliefs get in the way of really listening to what is being said. This can actually push the other person away.

How Learning to Listen Saved My Marriage

By George

I have a temper, a bad temper. And I can swear and be disrespectful. Then I feel bad afterward and ashamed of myself. My wife referred me for counselling. Of course I thought that she was the one that needed it. Bev pulled in both of us. I learned that I go straight to trying to fix things and solve problems. I never even thought of the first step...listening to understand.

Enjoy playing with these strategies and Happy Thanksgiving!!

Bev

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