George and Aimee have been married for decades. Now that the kids were adults and George had recently retired, they were taking a closer look at their relationship. Their communication style was slightly abrasive. This style might have been functional in their previous work roles but no longer worked for their relationship.

In our last couples counseling session, George shared a technique he was using. When he was aware that his words could be off-putting, he paused himself by saying, “In the spirit of communication….” This gave him slightly more time to be deliberate with his words. He was now more aware of the impact of his language and more mindful of how he was sharing.