You ever find yourself mid-text, deleting and retyping “no worries” for the third time because you’re actually full of worries? Same.

Communication is weird. It’s this invisible bridge between us and everyone else, friends, coworkers, family, your significant other who somehow still doesn’t know what “I’m fine” really means (bless their heart). And yet, for something so essential to, well being human, we’re hilariously bad at it sometimes. 

But I’m not here to shame us. I’m here to say: we’ve all been there, and maybe it’s time we just laugh about it and level up a little. 

🧩 Pain Point #1: The “You Should’ve Known” Trap

You know this one. You drop a vague sigh, throw a casual “nothing” when asked what’s wrong, and then secretly hope your friend, partner, or dog figures out the emotional algebra. 

Spoiler alert: they never do.

 💡 The fix? Say the thing. Not in a 5-paragraph essay, just say the thing. “I felt off when you didn’t text back yesterday.” That’s it. You don’t need a TED Talk, just a little honesty. Most people aren't mind readers, they’re just tired and hoping they’re not in trouble.

 🧩 Pain Point #2: Passive-Aggressive Olympics

 This includes:

• “Sure, whatever you want.”
• “No, it’s fine. I’ll figure it out myself.”
• Or the ever-popular “K.”

Look, we’ve all earned medals here. But passive aggression is like emotional glitter, once it’s out there, it sticks to everything. 

💡 The fix? If something bugs you, bring it up while it’s still a tiny annoyance, not after it’s festered into a mental courtroom drama starring you as prosecutor, judge, and jury. Be direct, but kind. Like, “Hey, I didn’t love that you said that in the meeting, can we talk about it?” Boom. Adulting unlocked. 

🧩 Pain Point #3: Listening Just to Respond (Not to Understand)

 Raise your hand if you’ve ever:

• Planned your comeback mid-sentence
• Mentally drafted a tweet while your friend was venting
• Nodded aggressively with zero idea what the other person just said

Same. 🙋 💡

The fix? Practice what I call “chill listening.” You’re not a debate team captain. You’re just listening. No fixing, no judging, just “tell me more.” This works wonders, especially with loved ones who sometimes just want to be heard, not solved. 

🧠 Final Thoughts (Without Sounding Like a Life Coach)

Here’s the truth: most communication issues aren’t about bad intentions, they’re about awkward timing, stress, unspoken expectations, and the occasional rogue mood swing. But with a little self-awareness and a lot of grace (for ourselves and others), we can actually get better at this stuff. 

And maybe, just maybe, instead of “you should’ve known,” we start saying “hey, I need you to know.” 

Progress, not perfection. Even if our group chats still say “lol” when we mean “crying on the inside.”

💬 What’s the funniest miscommunication you’ve had with someone you love?