Managing Neglected Marriages
Do you ever feel like your marriage is being neglected? It’s alright to admit it, after all, life can be overwhelming, and there are times when we struggle to balance everything that is thrown at us.
As we grapple with bipolar disorder, anxiety, PTSD, and other disorders, it’s easy to neglect our marriages. It’s essential to address the effects of these disorders on our relationship, as it’s often our loved ones who bear the brunt of our negativity.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at some common problems that emerge in neglected marriages and how to manage them.
Realization of Neglected Marriage
The first step in managing a neglected marriage is admitting that it exists. It’s easy to blame our mood disorder for all of our negative behaviors and neglectful actions, but we must take responsibility for our part in neglecting our spouse and children.
We have to realize that our actions have negative effects on our families and our relationship with them. We must acknowledge that our passivity, leaving treatment at the doctor’s office, depressive episodes, and suicidal thoughts put a strain on our love and cause them to feel neglected and ignored.
Clarity in Hospital
Inpatient treatment provides a safe space for us to collect stories and become more aware of how our passivity in managing our lives and marriage leads to negative outcomes. This focus helps us acknowledge the hurtful behaviors we may have pursued for the sake of accommodating our disorders.
Gaining New Perspective
Coping mechanisms and medication adjustments are keys to managing our episodes. However, maintaining the consistency of changing our perspective requires modifications that determine our success in continuing change.
We must consider the fear and irrational demands that led to blaming our spouse in marriage counseling, the cold reactions that come from pursuit of comfort, and how that led to neglecting our marriage and family. It’s time to realize that we are responsible for our actions and the roles they play in our marriage.
Turning Inward Instead of Managing Marriage
It’s not unusual to respond to our disorders by turning inwards instead of addressing our marriages’ neglected state. We often avoid focusing on our marriage as a problem to avoid facing the negative effects of our disorder.
However, this self-centered focus only worsens our relationship with our loved ones. When watching our reactions like an emotional ruler, we often miss the fact that we are neglecting those we love.
The mistaken solution to blame our relationship leads to seeking external solutions and ignoring the needs of our spouse and children. This pattern leaves us turning inward again instead of finding life outside of ourselves.
Realization of Neglect
It’s never too late to realize we’ve been neglectful of our spouse and family. We can make a conscious effort with small actions like listening to our spouse and children, having a genuine conversation with them, and participating in activities they enjoy.
Learning from Mistakes
It’s essential to learn from our mistakes and engage in self-improvement by realizing that our self-centered focus has affected our marriage and that finding value in loved ones is critical. We must make progress in our relationship by focusing on spreading love to those we care about.
Final Thoughts
Managing a neglected marriage requires acknowledgment of our actions and the impact they have on those we love, such as our spouse and children. Even as we struggle with mood disorders like bipolar, anxiety, PTSD, and other disorders, we must take responsibility for our part in neglecting our spouse and children.
Remember, it’s never too late to learn from our mistakes and make progress in our relationship by spreading love to those we care about.
Managing a Marriage: A Two-Way Street
Managing a marriage requires personal responsibility from both individuals involved.
We must realize that our personal happiness is not our partner’s responsibility but our own. Our partners can only contribute to our happiness, but the onus lies on us to manage our mood and bring positivity to the relationship.
As part of our personal responsibility, we must engage in reflective self-analysis to understand how our behavior affects our partner and the relationship. The act of looking within enables us to take accountability for our actions and make positive changes that contribute to our partner’s happiness.
Contribution to Relationship
In a difficult marriage, it’s easy to lay blame on one individual. However, it is only when we look within that we realize that both parties contribute to relationship issues.
Acknowledging our role and taking ownership of our behavior encourages us to find ways to correct them and make things better. We all have a role to play in contributing to the relationship’s well-being, and by working together, we increase our chances of success.
One way to make a difference is by focusing on the positive qualities of our partner, rather than amplifying the negative traits. This shift is often an eye-opener, resulting in better communication, mutual respect, and improved rapport in the relationship.
Prioritizing Loved Ones
It’s essential to prioritize our loved ones and contribute to their happiness in the relationship. Our partner’s role is significant in our lives, and by valuing them, we enhance the relationship’s value.
By prioritizing them, we demonstrate how much we care and how important they are to us. One way to make our loved ones feel valued is to do things that make them happy.
This might involve doing something together that they enjoy or finding new activities to share. Sometimes, it could mean prioritizing their needs, such as being more present in conversations or planning special date nights.
These little things go a long way in keeping the marriage fresh and thriving.
Focus on Love
Ultimately, marriage is about love. Our actions within the relationship must be focused on love.
This means taking control of our emotions and actions by not expecting perfection from our partner. After all, perfection is unattainable, and we are all human with our flaws and shortcomings.
We must focus on controlling our actions and how we react to each other, spreading love and positivity, and caring for each other’s needs. In conclusion, managing a marriage requires personal responsibility from both individuals in the relationship.
By taking ownership of our role in the relationship, we acknowledge our behavior’s impact towards our partner and work towards making a positive difference. Prioritizing loved ones and focusing on love are two key elements in maintaining a healthy and thriving relationship.
Let’s work together to manage our marriages and create lasting and fulfilling relationships with our loved ones. In conclusion, managing a neglected marriage requires overcoming personal struggles such as mood disorders and taking individual responsibility for our behavior.
It’s important to focus on contributing to the relationship and prioritizing our loved ones. By looking within, finding ways to make things better, and enhancing the relationship’s value, we can spread love and positivity.
Recognizing the importance of managing our marriage and working together to create a happy, healthy, and fulfilling relationship with our loved ones is essential. With personal responsibility, positive contributions, prioritization, and love as our guiding principles, we can manage our marriages, and enjoy lasting and fulfilling relationships with our loved ones.
