Have you ever thought about what conflict is?  For sure you have experienced the symptoms of being in conflict but what exactly is it and why does it occur?

My definition of conflict is this: 

When someone believes their needs are not or will not be met because of another person.  

This simple statement provides many keys for how you can feel less stressed and overwhelmed when you experience conflict.

Beliefs – What do you believe? What are you holding on to as truth when it may only be your opinion? How can you develop the insight to discern fact from fiction and have your beliefs more accurately align with reality?

Needs – What do you really need? How do you wish to feel? What would you like to experience instead? How can you tell when a frustrating circumstance is actually a symptom of an unmet internal need?

Accountability – who is responsible for your frustration and stress? How are you proactively ensuring your unmet needs get met?

We don’t need to over complicate conflict, nor do we need to assign its resolution to someone else. We can simply get curious about why it is occurring and clear about the steps needed to bring us relief.

Conflict is after all just a problem that needs to be solved. If we choose to look at it that way.