Did you know that anxiety affects around 40 million people in the U.S.? Affecting 18.1% of the U.S. adult population, anxiety is one of the most common mental health issues people deal with.
It is one of the most easily diagnosed mental illnesses and very easily treated. But only about 36.9% of people who struggle with the disorder seek out treatment.
Talking about your anxiety is difficult. Talking about it with your partner can be even harder. If you find yourself constantly saying, “My husband doesn’t understand my anxiety,” you’re not alone.
Keep reading for tips on how to talk to your spouse about your anxieties.
Journal and Share
Sometimes the best way to express what you’re going through is to write it all down. Journaling is a great way to sort through your feelings and a great way to explain what it’s like living with anxiety.
Try journaling about your anxiety, and find a moment to share that with your partner. This might help them understand.
You don’t want to cause yourself more anxiety trying to figure out how to best talk to your partner about your anxiety. Journaling can help you cope with your anxiety, and it’s the perfect way to express what your day-to-day life consists of as a person living with anxiety.You can even switch up the way you journal and write a letter instead. Address it to your spouse, and let them read everything you experience in your own words.
Prepare Ahead of Time
Like so many other spouses, you may be wondering how to explain anxiety to your husband. It’s a difficult and vulnerable place to find yourself in, so preparation is key.
If you decide that you’d rather speak to your partner about these issues in person instead of through writing, it’s best to prepare what you’re going to say ahead of time.
Practice what you’re going to say in front of the mirror or with a trusted friend. It’s also a good idea to discuss how you’ll approach the conversation with a licensed therapist, as they can help guide you through it.
Make sure that when the time for this important conversation does come that you feel ready and strong enough to speak about it.
Use Resources to Speak Clearly
Explaining a mental illness, especially to someone who doesn’t have one, can be tricky. You want your partner to understand what you’re going through, but sometimes you can’t fully understand it yourself.
It’s important that you use the right language to speak to your spouse about your mental illness. There are some great online resources that have a ton of information about anxiety and other mental illnesses. Print out some information from these websites, or take some notes to have with you.
This is the best way to ensure that you explain everything clearly to your partner. Since they don’t have the same experiences you have, finding the resources that will help them understand better is a crucial step.
Describe Your Feelings in Anxious Situations
Dealing with anxiety in your marriage can be incredibly difficult, but knowing how to describe what your feeling during times of anxiety will help your partner understand you more. The way to talk to your spouse about your anxiety is to express the physical and emotional manifestations of it.
Give your partner some examples of times and places you’ve experienced anxiety and everything that lead you to that moment. Tell your partner what kind of situations cause you to feel anxiety, your physical reaction, and how you react emotionally and deal with the feelings at that moment.
Explain Your Triggers
Triggers can be very serious for anyone who deals with anxiety or other mental health issues. A trigger is anything that causes someone to think back to a traumatic event in their life.
This is why it’s so important to discuss your triggers with your spouse. This can help them understand your anxiety on a deeper level.
There are certain words or things your partner does that may trigger a negative reaction in you. Your spouse may be doing this unintentionally, but it’s important to let them know how they make you feel. This will help your partner understand why you react in certain ways and will allow them to help you through your anxiety.
Tell Your Partner What Makes You Feel Better
A good spouse will want to know what they can do to make you feel better and help you cope with your anxiety. Everyone’s anxieties manifest in different ways, and everyone has different ways of coping.
If you’re a wife that has anxiety, your spouse may want to help in a way that makes you feel worse without knowing it does. It’s important to talk to your partner about what they can do to help you and about things that actually make you feel worse. Communicating with them in this way will help them understand your anxiety in a better way.
Let Your Spouse Know How They Can Help You
A marriage is a commitment to work as a partnership. It takes a lot of dedication and can oftentimes come with some struggles, especially when dealing with a mental illness.
It’s important to work together in dealing with your anxiety because marriage is supposed to be about teamwork. Speak with your spouse about some of the things they can do to help you cope, and begin to implement them together.
If you feel like your anxiety is creating tension in your marriage, you can talk to your spouse about going to marriage therapy. This can be one way your partner helps you in coping with your anxiety. Speak to a professional about ways to work through it together.
Tips for When My Husband Doesn’t Understand My Anxiety
If you’re used to saying, “My husband doesn’t understand my anxiety,” you should know that many people struggle to speak to their spouse about their mental illness.
Contact us with any questions you may have about navigating anxiety with your partner.