How can anxiety affect relationships

While anxiety and depression are separate disorders, they often occur together. However, each condition can have a different impact on your relationship. While each individual is unique and every relationship handles challenges differently, it may be useful to understand how anxiety and depression can impact your relationship.

For most of us, when we become anxious, we reach out to our partner to help us manage our fear. This is an important function of the attachment relationship which is known to serve a biological function.

This is because when we feel fear, our fight or flight system becomes activated. Reaching out and receiving comfort from a loved one calms our nervous system and brings us back to a healthy place of balance. As children, we usually turn to our parents or other trusted adult to calm our fears. As adults, our parents are replaced with our partner. In a relationship where one person is suffering from an anxiety disorder , this can place a strain on their relationship as they tend to need more support.

An anxious person may also be incapable of being the one to provide support to their partner if needed. In a relationship where one partner is anxious, the unaffected partner can feel overwhelmed and unsupported.

When you feel these impulses, try to distract yourself with some deep breathing, a walk or jog, or a quick phone call to a close friend.

One study suggests that even a single session of therapy can help couples dealing with relationship anxiety. Concerned about the cost? Our guide to affordable therapy can help. You may not be able to entirely avoid all relationship anxiety, but there are things you can do to quiet the constant questioning and spend more time actually enjoying what you have with your partner.

Crystal Raypole has previously worked as a writer and editor for GoodTherapy. Her fields of interest include Asian languages and literature, Japanese translation, cooking, natural sciences, sex positivity, and mental health. A lack of communication can bring down even the most picture-perfect relationships. Learn how to recognize communication issues and get things back on…. Fear of abandonment can have a negative impact on your relationships. But it is possible to treat it with lifestyle changes.

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How to Handle Relationship Anxiety. If you feel you are experiencing anxiety and would like to speak with a medical professional to get the best treatment to help you feel like you again, reach out today at How does anxiety affect relationships? What does anxiety mean? Being overly dependent Sometimes anxiety can cause a person to become overly dependent.

Social isolation On the other hand, some people with anxiety isolate themselves and become avoidant of relationships to avoid negative feelings like being disappointed by or frustrated with a friend or loved one. Chronic tension People who have anxiety frequently feel tense or restless and those around them can feel that tension. This tension can cause problems with connecting and communicating in relationships.

How can you cope with your anxiety and nurture your relationships? What treatment options are available for generalized anxiety disorder? Counseling There are several forms of counseling that can be helpful for someone who has anxiety. Medication When seeking treatment for anxiety, you should always start by consulting a professional. Published in Blog. Back to Blog. What are the signs that someone is depressed?

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