If you struggle with anxiety, you understand how terrible it can make you feel. As you work on coping with your symptoms, it’s good to know that anxiety doesn’t have to hurt your relationship.
You can learn to recognize and manage it so it doesn’t come between you and your partner.
Try these strategies to help keep your relationship strong, despite anxiety:
1. Share your feelings. If you suffer from anxiety, stress, or worry, you may be tempted to
hide your feelings from your partner. But hiding your feelings can lead to confusion and
frustration in your relationship.
Your partner may sense something is wrong, but your decision to hide the anxiety and stress will prevent them from helping you.
By hiding your emotions, you risk pushing your partner away. Your partner can feel hurt because they may think you don’t have enough trust in them or your relationship to share your thoughts.
2. Avoid guessing about your partner’s feelings. Anxiety can increase if you play guessing
games and try to predict what your partner is feeling. Instead of guessing, communicate
with your partner and ask sincere questions about their feelings.
Guessing or assuming what your partner is thinking is dangerous because you might guess incorrectly and end up making decisions based on totally erroneous information. Open communication is the key to healthy relationships and reducing worry.
3. Work on resolutions together. Instead of letting fear and worry take over, confront your
anxiety and work on resolutions. It’s not easy to face your fears, but the alternative can
lead to a damaged relationship. Discuss the issues you’re concerned about with your
partner.
4. Be mindful and live in the present. Anxiety can shift your focus from the present to
worrying about the future. When you suffer from anxiety, it’s easy to think about the worst
case scenarios and make inaccurate predictions about the future. This can hurt your
relationship.
Instead of getting lost in your worries, spend some time planning a bright future together.
5. Deal with your thoughts. Learn to manage your negative thoughts and replace them with
positive ones. Negative thoughts can create more anxiety and fear.
If you manage your thoughts, you can reduce the anxiety. This will help you focus on the positive aspects of your relationship.
6. Learn to accept help. Although you may be able to deal with your anxiety on your own, a
trained professional may be able to guide you to quicker resolutions. It’s not a sign of
weakness if you decide to pursue therapy or medications to help you.
By opening up about your issues, you can seek the help you need.
Your partner, friends, family, and coworkers may be able to help you, too. Accept help from multiple sources as it becomes available. Avoid limiting your opportunities to alleviate the fear and worry.
If you decide to pursue therapy or medical treatment, it’s important to stay on course. Avoid giving up after one session. You may need multiple sessions to eliminate the anxiety. You may also need to try more than one medication to see results.
Anxiety doesn’t have to control your life or relationships. You can recognize anxiety and make changes before it affects your relationships. Use these strategies and enjoy a positive difference in your relationship.