Reading between the lines
One thing that keeps any relationship healthy and strong is great communication. This means not only speaking and listening but also understanding the message behind the words. Getting the deep meaning entails reading between the lines and listening to what your partner isn’t saying.
Women, in particular, are notorious for hiding deep messages in seemingly insignificant statements. If you are not keen, you will miss out on the sea of emotions that is your girlfriend, fiancé or wife simply because they didn’t lay it out bare for you.
Below are 5 of the most heavily loaded of these statements and the meanings behind them.
Surface statement vs. deep meaning
What they say: “It’s fine” or “It’s ok.”
What they mean
These statements have become synonymous with the female gender. They might seem direct and final but do not let their simplicity fool you.
More often than not when a woman says it is ok or fine, it means the exact opposite. They do this when they are trying to avoid blowing up by ignoring the issue at hand, especially if you have done something wrong.
Maybe you were late for the date, forgot to run an errand or didn’t plan anything for your anniversary? Do not think for a second you are off the hook. If you do not address it there and then it will come back to bite you eventually.
What they say: “Nothing.”
What they mean
This is another one that women when they are trying to take the high road. It is usually given as an answer to the question “what’s wrong?”. If you probe further, you will uncover a world of disappointment and anger. If on the other hand, you choose to take it as a free pass then it will most likely build up to toxic levels and rear its ugly head as resentment.
What they say: “Who were you with?”
What they mean
Say you were out late with your friends and you didn’t tell your girlfriend. Or you told her, but you stayed out later than you had expected. If you have been in either situation, then this is definitely a question you should have encountered already. When a woman is asking this, she honestly doesn’t care about all your male buds and your bromance escapades. All she is interested in knowing is whether or not you were with any other women.
What they say: “What are you thinking right now?”
What they mean
This is a question that many guys hate having to answer. When a woman poses it, they do not really expect anything complicated as most men think. They honestly just want to know what you think about them and the relationship as well as life in general. There is truly no correct or wrong answer. So the next time she asks just mention anything that comes to mind and make a conversation out of it. Trust me nothing will annoy her more than you saying “nothing”… See what I just did there?
What they say: “You do that all the time.”
What they mean
This is one of the heaviest statements of all time. This is her subtle and polite way of telling you that what you are doing is annoying and you should stop. It could be playing video games when she is talking to you, phubbing or even leaving dirty socks all over the house. So no, this isn’t a general neutral statement; it is a warning.
Conclusion
Healthy communication is especially important in long distance relationships. Because your partner isn’t around for you to interpret other non-verbal cues like facial expressions, you have to make the extra effort to make sure you understand them correctly. The most important thing is to probe, especially if you have a feeling that there is more to the story than “I’m fine” and “It’s nothing.”
Written by Josh from Virtuallysingleonline.com