Love advice: How to deal with a partner who has suddenly stopped communicating

Do you sometimes feel that your partner has emotionally shut down? That the communication gap between you two is only growing by the day? This is usually the case when one partner can’t relate with oneself or the relationship anymore, as they are of the belief that the bond has run its course. Does that really mean the end? Here’s what relationship experts Shivani Misri Sadhoo, Pulkit Sharma and psychoanalyst Dr. Petra Muller have to share with you, so you can communicate better with your partner.

1) Stop chasing them

If your partner becomes unavailable, your primary reaction is to chase them to open up. This approach can be counter-productive, as it can drive the partner away. Be patient; give them their space and time to feel that they’re ready to share their inner thoughts and feelings.

2) Calm down

Giving space needs to be combined with not fretting about what might be wrong. It’s better that you don’t give advice or offer help, as you don’t know what might offend your partner. Taciturn partners can tend to become overly-sensitive about their feelings.

3) Connect by relating, not criticising

Your aim is to rekindle the romance. Therefore, if you complain about the lack of communication, then it’s going to make things worse. Talk about the things you like, your common interests rather than the lack of dialogue in your relationship.

4) Sometimes, it’s not personal

There is a possibility that your partner is a private person, which means they do open up, but at their convenience. In a situation like this, don’t force intimacy by demanding it; rather calmly invite it by displaying your understanding side.

5) Reconciliation is a two-way street

One of the major reasons why one of the partners feels the need to stop communicating is because they feel that their partner focuses only on their point of view, rather than empathising with them. And this is the reason they feel that their partner is incapable of change. Demonstrate to him or her that you are willing to change and understand them, if you want them to start talking to you.