A spiral of avoidance is when you try to distance yourself emotionally and physically from the person you are in conflict with. This lasted for a few weeks, but eventually enough was enough and the strain was too much to bear. A day was set aside and we discussed what we felt was going on between the two parties and what we could do to improve the situation. Although the situation is not completely resolved, the halfway situation has seen some encouraging improvements for the future. Looking at the situation, ways to improve conflict management include expressing what the problem is before it escalates. When you don't say what the problem is, you're just letting it evolve into a bigger problem than it already is. Expressing what was felt at the time it was felt instead of letting it simmer beneath the surface and become something so stifling seems to be the best course of action for handling the conflict in this case. Letting the other person involved in the conflict speak honestly and express their perception of the situation while doing the same for yourself is a stepping stone in the right direction to eliminate the conflict.