Communication is the Key

Communication is such a hard thing to use properly. Many things we say don't always come across the way we think we do to others. Things we think we are being obvious and clear about may not be that way for others. It is easy to think we are good at communicating and figuring out what others are trying to communicate to us, but communication is hard. This is unfortunate because communication is super important to any relationship, especially within a living situation. When you communicate you have to put your thoughts and feelings into words somehow, and then you actually have to express them. Then the person you are trying to communicate with has to try and figure out what exactly you are trying to express. This is difficult enough when you are just trying to understand what they are saying, but words is not the only way we communicate. Communication is done through words, tone, and our body language. Our tone can be affected by whatever is going on, So we could be trying to communicate something that is positive, but something negative happened earlier and we contradict what we say with our tone. We tend to believe tone more than we believe words. It's even worse if your body language is saying something different than your words and tone. We are more likely to believe what we see by body language over everything else. As the saying goes "actions speak louder than words," and I think that can be applied here. '
Not only all of this is hard to figure out, but we all grow up in different circumstances, and those circumstances help to form our views. The views I have are different from others views. My movement, words, and tones mean something different to other people than they do to me. Therefore making it way more difficult to communicate. Learning about this is helping me to understand my roommates a lot better. I get along amazingly with my roommates, but sometimes we have moments of confusion, and it's because we see and learn things differently. We all grew up in different areas and in different situations. Causing something that makes sense to myself and my family to be viewed different. Luckily it hasn't caused us any problems (that I am aware of) and we generally seem to end up understanding each other and getting what they meant, or at least we think we do. '
The greatest way to communicate is to first know what it is you are feeling and thinking. How is anyone else supposed to understand what it is you are trying to communicate if you don't even understand it? Now as someone who has a hard time understanding what I am feeling, I get that this can be hard to do, but I believe it is necessary. Once you understand, then you can truly express. If you can't express it, then be honest and say that. Let them know that you need to figure it out before you express it. If you are the one being communicated to, it's important to first be patient. I think we easily get frustrated when people trying to really think things out sometimes because we just want to know and understand what is going on. Then once they have communicated I think it is important to gather your thoughts and be willing to ask if the conclusion you have come to is really the right one. Ask and be willing to discuss.
Communication can be a huge barrier between people, but it doesn't have to be. It something that needs to be constantly worked on. It takes patience and work, but once we get it down it will be a great strength to all around us. It may be hard and weird and first, but if we practice and put in our best effort we will improve and that's all that can really be asked of us.