Did you know that a good clean fight with your partner could strengthen your relationship? That's right, healthy skirmishes improve intimacy and communication. However, there's one catch: You have to know how to argue.

• Attacking Each Other
• Wanting to Win
• Saying Too Much
• Avoiding Conflicts
• Fighting Under Stressful Conditions
For goodness sake, don't argue when your partner is sick, exhausted, intoxicated, excessively hungry or recovering from an injury or trauma. These conditions magnify and intensify feelings, especially irritability. When you don't have your wits about you, it's not the time to discuss difficult or sensitive subjects.

The Wrong Way to Fight
Let's examine some classic mistakes to avoid when brawling with your partner.

• Agree to Disagree
• Hit the Pause Button
• Express Your Concerns
• Apologize
New flash: human beings make mistakes. We screw up. Don't be hardheaded or prideful about blunders. Apologizing makes you a bigger person and boosts your humanity. Of course, that doesn't mean you spend your life asking for forgiveness. But if you've done harm, intentionally or unintentionally, to the one you love, admit your mistake. Snuff out pridefulness before it breeds resentment.

How to Fight Better
Next time your feel a clash coming on, keep these tips in mind.

From Conflict to Closeness
Intimate relationships rouse anxieties from their slumber and awaken our earliest, unmet emotional needs. The closer you get to someone, the more you do battle with your own demons. Learn to argue mindfully, hate each other in a more loving way, and you're guaranteed a long, healthy, and peaceful relationship.