10/24/2025
Ever notice how the harder you try to connect in a tense moment, the worse it seems to go?
That’s because when emotions run high, protective emotions take over—
anger, frustration, defensiveness, withdrawal.
They’re your mind’s way of protecting you from feeling hurt, rejected, or unseen.
But they also make it harder for love, care, and understanding to come through.
Real connection happens when we slow down enough to move from those protective emotions to the vulnerable ones underneath—
the ones that actually tell the truth about what we need.
That’s where repair begins.
That’s where reassurance is possible.
That’s where closeness grows again.