Everyone gets into a dispute now and again: siblings, parents, friends and even strangers. While disagreements are unavoidable, physical altercations are usually preventable. If you find yourself in a heated argument, consider a few pieces of advice about how and why to keep a conflict from turning into a fight.

Know the Consequences

Physical quarrels come along with a whole host of potential consequences. First, you may run into legal issues. Whether or not you were at fault and regardless of who started the fight, you could be arrested. Possible charges might include aggravated battery or disorderly conduct. Instead of reaching any solutions through this conflict, you might just land yourself in jail, in need of Warren County bail bonds. 

Second, getting into a fight may leave you or another person with serious injuries. Even if you don’t get caught, a missing tooth or broken rib is still a major pain. Further, you might inflict harm on someone who is not able to successfully defend himself or herself. There is no way of taking back something you do in a fit of rage. Finally, the severity of physical altercations often results in permanently damaged relationships.

Promote Discussion

One of the best ways to go about conflict resolution is to try to verbally discuss the issue at hand. While this may not work in many situations, talking through a problem can frequently result in a solution. In order to make this sort of conversation productive, it is best to be specific about what you are upset about and to avoid making inflammatory statements. For example, instead of calling a person a liar you might want to give an actual example of what he or she lied about. 

Last Resort

Unfortunately, physical conflicts can sometimes be almost impossible to prevent. Whether it is you or the other person who seems out of control, it may be necessary to simply leave the room. If your altercation involves someone you don’t know well, the problem will hopefully never arise again. Alternatively, this may provide an opportunity for involved parties to cool down so they can calmly address the matter later. 

After entering adulthood, fights have significantly more consequences than they did when you were very young. No matter what someone has done, physical quarrels usually end up creating more problems than they solve. Try to have a useful discussion the next time a disagreement arises, or if this is not possible, separate yourself from the other person involved. A day or two later, you will be glad you did.