Are you having trouble getting or maintaining your relationships with others?

Have you been told you're a bit too harsh, critical, intense, or overbearing?

Don't worry, I'm here to help.

Welcome back to Savvy Psychologist, I'm your host, Dr. Monica Johnson.

Every week on this show, I'll help you face life's challenges with evidence-based approaches,

a sympathetic ear, and zero judgment.

Do you have trouble starting or maintaining relationships with others?

Whether it be a romantic relationship, a relationship with a coworker, or friends and family?

Today, we're going to discuss the give skill.

Give is part of DBT, or dialectical behavior therapy, and helps with relationship effectiveness.

Relationship effectiveness is required in all of our interactions with others.

It doesn't matter if it's with the wait staff at a restaurant, or our nearest and dearest family member.

While we may not weigh these relationships equally, we do want to consider how we want others to feel about us after an interaction.

If the waitress forgets to add cheese to my grits as I requested, there are different ways I can go about getting my objective met.

We've all seen someone yell at another person over a seemingly minor mistake.

We've also seen others respectfully assert themselves in the same scenario.

Both can lead to getting cheese on your grits.

The former might just mean you get your grits with a side of spit.

Maybe you've noticed that you're a little too harsh with your best friend, or that you're sometimes dismissive of your grandparents.

The give skill used in combination with other communication skills you may have is great for appropriately prioritizing your interactions with others.

It will help make sure that you're acting in a way that allows others to feel good about their interactions with you.

The G in give is for being gentle.

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