Fights...how do you deal with it?

I am so stubborn and set in my ways. I am so closed off and I hate confrontation or dealing with problems. I think I get that from my dad. I don't show my emotions a lot, rarely cry and I don't particularly like dealing with problems. I'm sure no one really likes dealing with problems, but I am horrible for it! I will avoid it at all costs. And Tim is the exact opposite.

We've been married over 5 years and we are still working at it. It's hard for me to get out of my comfort zone and try and talk about my feelings, I mean, it has been 27 years that I've been like this! If we are arguing and he says something that I get upset about I totally shut off and am silent. It drives him insane. I know the saying is 'Never let the sun go down on your anger', but we definitely don't follow that rule all of the time. I do go to sleep, but I don't wake up angry or upset. If anyone knows me, they know I never hold a grudge. I wake up and start a new day. I figure that whatever we may be fighting about probably is not going to matter in the morning, it's probably just a little bickering about something ridiculous. That may be the wrong attitude to have but it is so hard to change! Tim is just the opposite. He hates when I just roll over and go to sleep. It eats him up. And he just gets angrier. He is such an open book. I know right when he walks in the door if he's had a bad day. That can be a good thing or a bad thing, I don't know.

Marriage is hard. It is hard to join two lives and learn to live together and deal with daily stresses together, especially if you are so opposite in the way you deal with problems. Even after being married so long we are still working on it, and I'm sure we will for a while. But we are willing to do the work and soon we will right on the same page (I hope!).

How do you deal with fights or arguments? Has it gotten easier?