During the holiday season, it can be tough to balance all of your family obligations. If you and your partner tend to stretch yourselves thin every year running from one family event to another, you might be wondering how you can leave a little more room in your schedule in the future.

Do you find yourself falling into the same relationship patterns over and over again? Maybe you’ve dated multiple people who were unfaithful, or perhaps you tend to date partners who are emotionally distant.

When you’re in a relationship, you might assume that by avoiding conflict altogether, you and your partner will be happier in the long run. Should you get into an argument, you may try to shut down the conversation as soon as possible and act like nothing happened.