Avoiding tough conversations could keep the peace in the short term but erode long-term relationships, licensed psychotherapist Colette Jane Fehr tells Axios' Ashley May.

• Why it matters: Conflict avoidance thrives in a fast-paced digital world, where it's easy to push off a text, ghost someone, or write with AI.

📱 "We're outsourcing what we think and feel to technology and then sharing it through yet another screen," says Fehr. "This removes the opportunity for repair in real time."

• Fehr is the author of the new book "The Cost of Quiet," out today.

🌱 Conflict can be constructive and can lead to deeper conversations. Fehr shares some best practices:

• 🗣️ Address issues, even small ones, instead of letting them simmer.
• 💭 Share feelings first rather than jumping into problem-solving.
• 🩹 Repair by owning your part, clearing up misunderstandings and apologizing when needed. Reconnecting is more important than agreeing for emotional safety.

Here's what this could look like, according to a few examples Fehr shared:

• 🏢 At work, it's naming the tension after a meeting by sharing how something landed for you, then clarifying future expectations.
• 🫂 With friends, it means acknowledging hurt feelings instead of pulling away.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 In families, it's addressing a long-standing pattern — sharing how it affects you emotionally, then setting boundaries clearly and kindly.

💬 "Being with another person, seeing their face, hearing their voice and feeling understood in real time is how we feel safe and grounded," Fehr tells Axios.

• "If we don't intentionally relearn how to stay connected, especially when things feel uncomfortable, disconnection becomes the norm rather than the exception. And that's one thing technology can't fix."

The bottom line: Conflict, handled well, is a powerful connector.

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Mike, who's in Dubai for the week, was eating dinner on a nearby pier when he captured this shot of the Jumeirah Burj Al Arab, the "sail hotel."

• The Michelin Guide calls the United Arab Emirates landmark "quite possibly the most over-the-top hotel in the entire world ... the world's first and only seven-star hotel."