Navigating the Communication Hurdles
The Cost of Chronic Invalidation: Navigating “Bad Communicators” in Your Life We all have people in our lives who challenge us—friends who mean well, family members with different perspectives, colleagues who test our patience. But there’s a difference between everyday miscommunication and chronic invalidation . The latter slowly erodes your sense of self and leaves you feeling unsettled long after the conversation ends. One of the clearest signs something is wrong is that you feel it in real time . Your body tenses. You feel misunderstood, talked down to, or subtly mocked. That’s not accidental—it’s information. A Familiar Scenario Imagine this: You’re discussing a topic and, based on past experience, you set a reasonable boundary: “I wouldn’t want to do that because it doesn’t make me happy.” Instead of listening, the other person challenges your capacity altogether: “You can’t do it.” They escalate—mocking tones, exaggerated confidence, even bets against you: “I’d bet a th...