 You might hate hearing this, but conflicts are a common thing for everyone. Conflicts are stressful, but avoiding them altogether isn't healthy. After all, author Scott Hawkins once said, "'Peace of mind is not the absence of conflict, but the ability to cope with it.'" So how do we cope with it healthily? According to Dr. Elizabeth Frederick, there are four things required to resolve conflicts. Self-awareness, communication skills, emotional regulation, and a genuine desire to resolve. Self-awareness is understanding your triggers, how your body reacts, and how you behave when triggered. Communication requires expressing your feelings using I statements, making sure there are no misunderstandings, validating each other's feelings even if you don't agree and being aware of non-verbal communication, like body language. Emotional regulation is when you are able to press pause and take a step back before reacting. It's also knowing coping skills that work for you, including how to calm down and taking time out if needed. Finally, there's the genuine desire to resolve the conflict, a willingness to compromise so you can move forward.