What do you do when your partner stops talking to you? Stonewalling is when a partner stops communicating, shuts down completely and is not ready to engage in what went wrong. Without anything to discuss, the other partner can feel helpless and rejected leading to misunderstandings.
Stonewalling can also manifest in the form of one-word answers, non-committal grunts and non-verbal cues like crossing their arms, stiffening their body.
Relationship experts suggest that the person shutting down is not fully aware of the reactive and dysregulated state they are in and what these things can lead to – cracks in any relationship.
You might not realise it but stonewalling isn’t always unintentional and can also be used as a way to manipulate and control.
The person who is being stonewalled can experience feelings of hopelessness, reduced self-esteem and increased anxiety.
They may feel demeaned, neglected and sometimes even abused—and they almost always feel a lack of emotional safety.
Best way to tackle this is by talking. Communicate as much as you can and voice your concerns instead of shutting down. As in all successful relationships, the key is to work as a team. Both people must approach each other and themselves with compassion.