The Upside of Conflict

Conflict is inevitable. Whether it is at work or with family, we all will experience different opinions and disagreements throughout our life. However, we are trained to believe that conflict is bad and must be avoided at all cost. But not addressing conflict can increase stress and anxiety, and interfere with our mental wellness as it continues to gnaw away until it is resolved. With the right skills, conflict can be an opportunity to strengthen relationships with family, co-workers and your self. Here are eight ways conflict can be beneficial:

1. Conflict can bring people together. Many times we imagine conflict as disconnecting, however, conflict can actually be an opportunity for people to work together. Instead of focusing on the point of contention, successfully solving conflict means uniting on common ground and working together for an equally fair resolution.
2. Conflict generates new ideas. In order to best solve a problem we must use our brain to think of new and creative ways to come to the best conclusion. Conflict stirs a shakeup in the way things are running and can open the door for new, innovative ideas.
3. You learn about others. If we are mindful we can learn a lot about people just by the way they handle conflict. It gives you an opportunity to learn their personality, argument style and needs.
4. Conflict also lets you understand yourself. By being mindful of your attitude and feelings during conflict you are able to learn a lot about how you communicate with other during conflict.
5. It opens your eyes to different views. One of the biggest benefits of conflict is the chance to grow as you are exposed to diverse perspectives. Willingness to hear points of view that are different from your own can give you insight, and allows you to listen to what others have to say.
6. Conflict provides the opportunity to practice communication skills.Being able to communicate with others is an essential part of establishing healthy relationships with friends, family or co-workers. Communicating about difficult topics can be painful, but the more active participation, the easier these conversations will be, and the stronger our interpersonal skills will become.
7. Conflict helps build self-assurance. Practicing the assertiveness skills gives you confidence and empowers you to be strong. As with any task, working through challenges and resolving conflict successfully builds self-esteem and encourages continued healthy communication.