Understanding Relationships and Managing Anxiety
Dating someone with anxiety can become horribly stressful. Anxiety is a real problem, and not something made up. However, anxiety doesn’t have to break your relationship or make the relationship any less enjoyable.
When you’re dating someone with anxiety, your partner tends to spend a lot of time overwhelmed in thoughts dissecting your relationship and worrying about everything that could go wrong or have gone wrong. Anxiety is a common behaviour, however, how severe the condition is that it becomes an issue. There are no cures or fix for anxiety and it can be a debilitating illness that prevents people from functioning and living a normal life.
Some of the common questions your partner will generally ask include:
- Does my partner love me as much as I love him?
- Is my partner lying to me?
- What if he’s hiding something from me?
- Is my partner cheating on me?
- What if my partner likes someone else better?
- What if we break up?
- What if my partner doesn’t text me back?
Anxiety doesn’t have to be the deal breaker in your relationship. Coping with anxiety and those with anxiety can be rewarding. There are many ways to cope with anxiety, these include:
- Remaining calm and understanding towards your partner while address and confirming your acknowledgement of their feelings.
- Establishing boundaries to what is acceptable allowing yourself to become patient and preventing a sense of bitterness and resentment.
- Being supportive, spending time with your partner, providing a sense of security and love.
- Acknowledge your partner’s accomplishments and their progress in dealing with anxiety.
- Listen to your partner, show your partner that you care for what they have to say or have said.
- Include them in all your hobbies and activities, allowing them to become an important aspect of your life can strengthen the relationship.
- When dealing with social anxiety, be understanding and expect moments where you may need to be removed from busy situations and surroundings.
There are many behaviour and responses that can worsen your relationship:
- Avoid criticizing your partner.
- Don’t dismiss their anxiety.
- Don’t take everything personally.
- Do not lose your temper and remain patient with your partner.
- Do not try to fix your partner.
Anxiety can be a stressful disorder, however, it can also provide us with an opportunity to understand and love your partner deeply.
