34 Small, Nice Things To Do After A Big Fight

So, you had abig fightwith your spouse. Maybe it was a three-hour screaming match. Maybe it was a 20-minuteargument．Maybe it was one of those off-and-on fights that can last an entire weekend. Whatever the case, things were said. Anger erupted. Feelings were hurt. It happens. What’s most important after a big fight now are thesteps you take to reconnect．

Arguments happen. Big ones. Little ones. It’s completely normal and healthy. Agreeing on everything isn’t possible. And a marriage without arguments — big or small — is a marriage without productivity. Arguing shows that there’s stuff to do in a relationship and that both partners are, in their way, working toward a larger goal, like attempting to understand each other and how to do better. No, it’s not ideal for arguments to spiral, and we must all learn ways tofight betterandkeep things from getting heated．

That said, what you do after a big fight is as important as what you do — and don’t do — during a fight. It’s easy to float around in the aftermath of an argument and just wait for things to become normal again. Understanding whensomeone needs time or spaceis essential. But acting like nothing happened is the wrong approach. It’s important to take action so that you both can, eventually, get things back to normal.

So, what can be done? Here, in no particular order, are 33 small, nice things to do after a fight.

33 Things To Do After A Big Fight

1. Jot down something about how you feel. Anything.Put it in writing. The act of writing is meditative and helps you understand your thoughts better. If it’s something you want to share with your partner, do so because that’s something they can hold onto (and re-read). Even if it’s not, writing down everything helps you better sort through it.
2. Resolve It Quickly (If You Can)“Explain why you were/are angry, and talk about what you feel is needed to go forward with the issue and/or prevent further fights about it,” says Laura MacLeod, a licensed social worker “Do this early. If you wake up and still feel so mad you don’t want to talk, say that. Acknowledge it and figure out when you can resolve it. Don’t let it fester.” But...
3. 如果they need space, give it to them.Everyone processes things differently.
4. Let them break the ice.让他们控制了基调。如果they don’t want to laugh about it, take their lead.
5. Clean your house．上到f *盛泰底部。不要问信贷。不’t point out how spic and span the toilet is. Just do it to busy yourself productively.
6. Play with the kids．Turn all your attention to them. This should help you cool off (if you need it) and helps make you emotionally useful while you two are shoring things up.
7. Exercise, clean up, and take care of yourself．You two need to repair a rift. This starts with a bit ofself-carefor both of you.
8. Makeup in front of the kids.Children learn by watching adults. When parents make up with each other after a fight, they should do so in front of their children to help them understand that even though people might fight and argue, it does not mean those relationships are irreparable.
9. Do something to make them laugh.Shared laughter is incredibly powerful because of the neuropeptides that are released when we smile and guffaw. When partners share laughter, it can ease tension and break down walls, making it easier for a couple to find their center.
10. Give them the dumbest card possible．There’s nothing more diffusing of any remaining tension than the cheesiest apology card on the greeting card rack. The sappier it is, the better.
11. Write a sincere love note．Tell them that even after an argument, you are still their partner and that you will never stop loving them. They need to hear it, and you need to be reminded that’s the case. It will help.
12. Tell them that they were heard．Say those words. “I heard you.” They are uncommon and they are powerful. And mean them when you say them. Follow them up with a clear explanation of what you heard them say — even if they didn’t exactly express it in the clearest way.
13. 如果you’ve been putting off doing something boring/annoying because you don’t feel like it, now is the time to do it.Buckle down and install that damn smoke detector or fix the broken lock. It’s a small gesture that will be noticed.
14. 不’t jump into makeup sex.Sorry, but jumping into the sack post-argument, while great in the moment, can, per marriage and family therapist Lisa Bahar, actually set a bad precedent, one that could inadvertently lead to a cycle of more fights. “It may create a pattern that fights serve as an aphrodisiac,” she says. “Both produce adrenaline and a rush. So be mindful of getting into habits of fighting andsex．” So save it for later.
15. Reflect on how your choices and actions may have affected the other person.
16. Validate your partner.Find a moment tocomplimentthem on something they did as a parent, a partner, a friend, an employee, or whatever. Be genuine and state the specifics. This helps close the rift.
17. 如果they want to talk about the fight — and you have both cooled down enough — listen．Really, truly listen. Let them tell you how they feel, without you having to justify your reactions or actions.
18. After a cooling-off period, sit down together and come up with a few things you can do to not repeat the situation．Come to a joint conclusion. Is it sexy? Is it dramatic? No. But it works.
19. Turn on some music.Something you both like. It will help fill the silence a bit.
20. 如果you realize you were wrong, say so and own it．Admit you made a mistake, don’t man-splain, and just sit quietly and let them express how they feel.
21. Suggest watching something you don’t want to watch and you’ve said you don’t want to watch.Watch it anyway.
22. Order the fast food you used to have together when you were dating.Consider it an olive branch, but with more saturated fat. Besides, fighting makes you hungry.
23. Is there something that they’ve been wanting to do together that you haven’t gotten around to scheduling (therapy? a vacation? dinner at a new restaurant?)?Make arrangements to do that thing.
24. Give them the gift of sleep．Let them sleep in on a weekend, take the kids out, and bring them back a croissant for them to eat — at 11. Make it a whole thing.
25. Take ownership of the things you said over anger.Explain that you lost your cool in the moment. Don’t retread over the things she said or place blame.Apologizefor a specific outburst and move on.
26. 如果something made you incredibly angry during the fight, explain why it triggered you．Use “I statements” as in “I felt upset because it felt like an uncalled for attack...” It’s important to understand what mechanisms are at work and they probably didn’t say it to piss you off intentionally.
27. 不’t post about your fight on social media.Just don’t.
28. Avoid giving them the cold shoulder.This behavior, as known as “stonewalling” in marriage counselor-speak, can be quite harmful. If you need more time to process the argument, let them know. Say, “I’m not ready to talk just yet.”
29. Mind Your PronounsThat is,say “I”, not “You” when you’re discussing the issue again. This simple pronoun flip can go a long way towards making a relationship squabble go down a lot easier. “There is much less cause for disagreement when you are simply stating your feelings,” says Jasmin Terrany, LMHC. Additionally, speaking this way will make your intentions much clearer upfront and let your partner know that you’re not just on the attack. “We tend to say things like, ‘you made me mad,’ where we use ‘you’ statements,” says Celeste Viciere, a mental health clinician. “When we frame statements in this way, our partner may not really hear us.”
30. 如果you want to apologize, don’t just say “I’m sorry.”这句话本身是空洞。相反,explain that you understand their specific point about X and Y and that you took things too far. Or say that you’re sorry for a specific act. Otherwise, it’s useless.
31. Much like the blanket “I’m sorry,” avoid saying that you didn’t mean it.This doesn’t do anything. You may not have meant them, but words are already said. You can’t take them back. You can, however, apologize for saying specific things and explain to them that you understand why they were so hurtful. Taking ownership helps.
32. Speak to theirlove language．Do they appreciate acts of service? Affection? Quality time? Do something that appeals to that core instinct in them.
33. Forgive yourself, and them.We all make mistakes. Acknowledging that you made an error — and forming habits that will work to ensure it doesn’t go this far again — is important. The only way to truly recover from a fight is to learn from it.
34. Learn from the incident,do the work, and be better for it.