While a loving romantic relationship can alleviate the burden of anxiety, or give us someone to share our worries with, a stressful relationship can actually dramatically worsen anxiety—and if you’re facing this challenge, you should seek professional help.
If profound understanding has turned into constant misunderstandings and intimate connection into isolating disconnection, you may be in a relationship that is giving you anxiety.
Whether you have a history with anxiety, or if these feelings of constant nervousness, self-doubt and dread are new, mental health experts, like A Mission for Michael (AMFM), are on a mission to help.
If you didn’t know that your partner could have a massive impact on your mental health, keep reading.
At their best and most wonderful, romantic relationships are a source of emotional support, love, understanding, compassion, and connection. However, sadly, some relationships can become characterized by poor communication, an inability to compromise, fighting and unresolved arguments, and one-sided investment.
If you are currently in a relationship like this, it wouldn’t be surprising if you were experiencing increasing anxiety and declining mental health.
Even worse, if you are already grappling with anxiety, or have had struggles with it in the past, and you have found yourself in this type of relationship, you are even more likely to be stuck in an especially problematic pattern of constant worry and over-analyzing.
Either way, if you are in the position that your relationship feels like a significant stressor, and is causing you anxiety on a daily basis, experts suggest that professional help may be necessary.
They particularly advise that if your partner is dismissive of your feelings and concerns when they voice them, ending the relationship may be the only path forward to protect your mental health.
However, mental health experts also know that this is not always easy, which is why they again recommend professional support.
AMFM, which has centers in California, Washington and Virginia, recommends you look for professional help at a center that can offer varying levels of care—so you can find the level of support you need. They also suggest you look for a center that can integrate personal therapy with couples and family therapy.
Also essential is a truly safe space that offers personalized treatment and recovery plans.
Though romantic relationships can arguably have the biggest impact on our mental health, a relationship with a close family member or friend, or perhaps with a colleague or boss, can similarly be a source of worsening anxiety; and if you’re in this position, you should also seek help.
If you want to know more about the signs of an anxiety-inducing relationship, A Mission for Michael (AMFM) is proud to answer any questions you may have.
