Now it’s time to think about putting these assertiveness skills into practice. Think of a past situation in which you could have used these skills; perhaps you can think of a time when your priority conflicted with something someone else wanted you to do. Write down some details about the situation; for example, who was involved, and what was the problem?
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What did you actually say in the situation, and what was the outcome?
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What could you have done or said differently to create a better outcome for yourself and the other person?
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Think about a situation that is likely to happen in the future; for example, maybe someone will ask you to do something that you don’t want to do; or there’s a party coming up that you haven’t yet asked your parents about. Write it down here:
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How could you handle this situation assertively?
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After you’ve had this conversation, come back to this workbook and write some notes about how you did. Did you act assertively? What was the outcome? Were you happy with the outcome? Were there things you could have done differently to result in a more positive outcome?
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In this chapter, we’ve looked at a lot of information to help you with relationships. You learned about why relationships are so important and why we need them, as well as some tips to help you increase the number of relationships in your life. You also learned a lot about how effective communication can go a long way toward improving your relationships, and we looked at the different communication styles and how to be more assertive.
Remember that our relationships are a big influence on how we feel emotionally, so it’s important that we have positive, healthy people in our lives. We’re almost at the end of this workbook, so make sure you’re continuing to give a lot of thought to these skills.