Can a bad relationship cause anxiety and affect your life? Can being anxious and worrying excessively take away your inner peace form you?
Anxiety, depression, or any form of mental illness doesn’t just happen one fine day, it lies deep down inside us since the longer we could think, it resides within us, we all have some triggers, some situations which have had traumatized effect on us, and for some, it shows up later.
In this blog, we will try to understand that if you are already broken from inside and if you land up in a bad relationship, how things would become between you two.
Can a bad relationship cause anxiety?
Yes, it certainly can worsen your anxiety, because everyone who goes through any form of mental illness, even be it the slightest form of sadness, need care, and attention. And people going through such emotional turmoil are often labeled as attention seeker or Victim-player.
The need attention which is true and they are the victim of the circumstances they are in and they find themselves stuck in a vicious circle, always looking for a hand which could pull them up and above the dark surface and brings back the light in their life.
Five signs you are in a bad relationship
The definition of a bad relationship varies from person to person, for some, it is physical torture, abuse, substance violence, and for some, it is silent torture which causes you mental drain and inflicts deep trauma within you. But one thing is for sure it does affect you internally and in the long run, it also starts destructing you from outside.
For how long will you water a dead plant in the hope of seeing some signs of life in it? Someday you have to stop, it is for your own mental peace. Can a bad relationship cause anxiety? Yes if you are in the wrong place with the wrong person. Any relationship is a two-way effort, an agreement by two people to make things work together and it can include anything and everything but very few have the grit and devotion of being loyal to their agreement.
| 1.) Your partner thinks you are acting out |
| 2.) Your partner thinks you overthink |
| 3.) They never listen to you |
| 4.) They don’t help you |
| 5.) They ignore you |
1.) Your partner thinks you are acting out
Whether you are married to someone or dating somebody, if you have anxiety issues or any other type of mental illness the relationship demands little more sensitivity. It is always better to make things clear beforehand, to have an upper hand in such matters. As it is due to a lack of awareness and acceptance people don’t consider these things normal and they directly start labeling others.
If you are clear from the beginning and are lucky to have your partner’s support when you face frequent episodes of anxiety then it is bliss but when it is exactly the opposite and your partner just could not understand your issues then it becomes really complicated to cope up in such a relationship.
2.) Your partner blames you for overthinking
Can a bad relationship cause anxiety? In anxiety people usually fear the unknown, they feel anxious without any reason, they worry excessively, and can’t help thinking about things going around them. It is kind of a part of this illness and the person doesn’t enjoy being trapped inside his/her own mind, and when your partner blames you for overthinking and worrying a lot, it causes more anxiousness which becomes a little hard to express in an appropriate manner.
If your partner is aware of anxiety issues, its symptoms, and treatment then well and good otherwise they will always blame you for overthinking, not being rational, and making up things.
3.) They never listen to you
No matter how much you try to explain to them how you feel, what you feel they don’t listen to you and get irritated with your behavior. It is really hard for people who are not in that zone to accept and understand the situation one could be in. Can a bad relationship cause anxiety? Yes, as it becomes really a difficult situation when the conversation doesn’t happen and two people don’t talk mindfully.
They hear you say things but actually, they fail to understand you, they fail to reciprocate. You feel all the more agitated and frustrated and your anxiety level increases with each heated-up argument.
4.) They don’t help you out
You reach out to them because you don’t know where else to go, you don’t have any other person too close to you. But hey shut you down, they completely detach or take no responsibility for your situation. Life would become easier of our partners to help us grow through what we go through but mostly they choose to disconnect.
They don’t help you out, and after making two-three attempts you give up and you too shut down. You stop seeking help and isolate yourself which aggravates your anxiety issues.
5.) They ignore your needs
Needs have no definition or boundaries. It depends upon a person’s present situation, it changes as per the situation and that is where relationships play an important part. I might not need any special attention today because I am dealing with my life with a sane mind, no mental illness, everything is good, no stress, and no failures in any way. But there could be a time when I might not be in the same position and my need might have a 360-degree shift, that time we need a different kind of help and different approach from our partner, it only makes the road easy but very difficult for others to understand and their begins the problem.
Can a bad relationship cause anxiety? Yes, it certainly can when your partner ignores your needs and continues to stay arrogant towards you.
Five ways to deal with anxiety
It is quite overwhelming when you are dealing with a bad relationship and as a result, your anxiety levels stress you. You might feel that you have no patience and energy to think rationally but what about your life? Your kids? Your career or anything which has still kept you going? Anything which is still holding you on? Isn’t it worth giving a try?
I won’t ask you to do anything over the board or anything which is too difficult but first I want a clear intention from your side that you want to come out of this mental distress which can lead to severe physical ailments in the future if not taken timely care. Can a bad relationship cause anxiety? Yes, it can but you cannot stop nurturing yourself despite everything. You need to understand no else could give or take the power from you to nurture your own self, hence please start practicing below mentioned five things:
| 1. Purpose |
| 2. Self-Love |
| 3. Take control |
| 4. Learn to let go |
| 5. Detach |
1. Purpose
In a situation like such, one doesn’t feel like doing a thing. But there is always something which could brighten up your mood, an old hobby, an interest, or a passion you wanted to follow but could not due to the responsibilities of life. I started blogging right after I was diagnosed with a critical illness, I was trapped inside my house almost bedridden and I started feeling depressed. I started writing and it helped not only overcome my mental issues but also help me find a purpose in life.
2. Self-Love
How often we say, I love you to the person in the mirror? It might sound silly to few, but why? When you love yourself you preserve yourself. When you love yourself you know what is good for you and what is not. When you love yourself you know when to draw a boundary and since yourself from negativity. Selflove is not selfish and we often feel guilty of thinking about ourselves because we are conditioned like that. Times have changed and we need to take care of ourselves before anyone else, you need a sane mind to manage others, never forget this.
3. Take control
Can a bad relationship cause anxiety? Yes, if you give your operative key to someone else. The powerful key to your happiness, to the meaning of your life. I gave my keys to everyone around me and attached meaning to relationships I had with people around me, but eventually, I learned that when giving the control, the power of our being to someone else’s hand, we will never know how they will use it. Thye might use it in a good way which will keep both the partners happy or they might simply ruin everything. Take control of your life, hold the key close to your heart, and feel it to your skin.
4. Learn to let go
Yes, set them free. If your partner is the one who is giving you anxiety attacks maybe he is dealing with a load of shit in their own life and is incapable of handling anything at the moment, the more you try to make things work, the more you end up in dismay and hurt. Learn to let go of things beyond your control, I know detachment doesn’t come overnight but yes it comes when you want it to, when you make yourself a priority when you realize you are harming yourself, even more, staying close to someone. You need to let go.
5. Detach
Cut the chords and detach. It is not simple but not impossible when you have had enough drama and anxiety or panic attacks you will eventually feel like running for your life one day for sure. Before that day arrives and when you are sure what is causing you a problem because somewhere we all know our triggers, why not distance ourselves from those triggers? Why let anyone pull those triggers and out us in a no-hope zone, in that dark alley where we feel lost. Think about it.
I think by now you know what is needed to be done but still if you feel a lack of support and acceptance. If your partner is the one who is causing you such a mental state then it is advisable that you consider taking some professional help in the future. Meeting a counselor or a psychotherapist might help you think from a different view and the coping mechanisms suggested by them will surely work for you. In the end, we all want to rise against all the odds, but before that, we need to try all the ways and means to help us. Take charge of your life my friends. Stay safe and stay healthy.
Love and light
Priyanka Nair is the author of 26 Days 26 Ways for a Happier you and Ardhaviram. An NLP practitioner and Founder of Sanity Daily, helping you prioritize your mental health. Let’s build a happy community.
