Sharing Your Feelings

Not everyone is comfortable sharing their feelings with their dating partner; it's a tendency that can be traced back to childhood. If your girlfriend or boyfriend's family were not big 'sharers' of their feelings, chances are your date won't be comfortable sharing his or her feelings with you. Regardless of your date's family history, the best way to begin the process is with baby steps. Start by sharing each other's day. Talk about your plans and activities. Then transition into your feelings about those activities -- a less threatening thing to share -- before moving into your more innermost feelings and thoughts. Over time, the two of you may feel comfortable sharing thoughts about each other -- qualities you like, elements of your relationship you like or want to change, and how much you love each other.