The Dying Flame: 4 Signs Your Relationship Is Mentally Draining You

When you devote lots of time and energy to a relationship that leaves you disappointed and isn’t meeting your needs, it can make you feel emotionally drained and frustrated. In a situation where you don’t feel like you have your partner’s support and you’re the only one putting effort into communication, it’s hard to give each other the love, attention, and help you deserve.

There are no perfect relationships, and every couple can face occasional disagreements. Yet, if you’re constantly feeling stressed or physically exhausted by your partner, it might be a sign that the relationship you’re in is negatively impacting your mental health. That’s why you must learn to recognize the red flags and react to them.

Before you start searching for how to divorce a narcissist, it is worthwhile to explore other options. For instance, therapy or learning how to listen to each other and communicate again might help you find a way forward.

Here are four signs that will help you spot if your relationship is mentally draining you.

Unhealthy Communication Patterns

Unhealthy communication patterns can be toxic to your relationship. If you’re constantly negative and your partner responds by being defensive, it can bring up feelings of anger, resentment, and frustration. These feelings can cause you to withdraw from your partner and create a vicious cycle.

When you don’t feel like you have someone on your side or who wants to listen to your perspective, it can be hard to resolve conflicts in a healthy way. You might even start to develop trust issues and lose respect for each other. This, in turn, can make it harder to communicate your needs or talk about things bothering you. 

If you notice that your relationship has unhealthy communication patterns, you should break the cycle and improve your communication skills with each other.

Feeling Stressed Out All the Time

People in relationships where they don’t feel appreciated tend to feel more stressed out. You might be feeling you’re doing everything on your own, and that isn’t much of a balance between you and your partner.

Feeling stressed out by your relationship can seriously affect your mental health. Furthermore, constant stress can lead to anxiety, depression, and even physical problems like high blood pressure.

If you want to improve your relationship, it’s a good idea to do things together and find ways to relieve tension when it builds up. Activities like going for a walk together, hanging out with friends, meditating, or going to the gym can help you feel better when you’re going through rough patches in your relationship. It’s also essential to ensure that you don’t take on too many responsibilities at once — having too much on your plate can impact your mental health. 

Feeling Disconnected From Your Partner

Sometimes, when you’re in a relationship with someone who doesn’t support you the way you need, it can make you feel like they aren’t really “there” for you. They may seem distracted most of the time and not put enough effort into making sure that you’re happy. It can be easy to start feeling disconnected from your partner in these situations.

If this starts happening in your relationship, it might signify that something is wrong. If work and school stress is getting in the way, it’s crucial to make time for each other and go out on dates once in a while.

If you find that you’re always tired or stressed out and your partner doesn’t seem to care, it might signify that something is wrong with the way you’re interacting. Try talking about what’s bothering you or scheduling more fun activities together instead of letting things get stale between you.

Having Low Self-Esteem

If your partner makes comments about everything from the way you dress to the way you behave all the time, it can impact your self-esteem. Even if they don’t mean anything by it, these kinds of comments can still hurt, especially if they keep coming up over and over again.

In cases like this, it helps to understand that some people aren’t good at communicating verbally and often say things without thinking about how they come across. In cases like this, it might be a good idea to talk with your partner and explain that their words hurt you — this way, they can avoid saying things that they shouldn’t say and help improve your relationship by being more mindful of what they say.

Conclusion

Going through a rough patch doesn’t always mean that you have to break up with your partner. Still, when issues arise in a relationship, it can make you feel unimportant and ignored. Both partners need to improve their communication skills with each other actively. This way, they can deal with conflicts as they appear instead of avoiding them or letting them build up until one person snaps and says something hurtful out of frustration.

Ask yourself if you’re experiencing any of the signs described above and try to work them out by communicating before taking further action. It will help you make the right decision regarding your relationship as we advance and save you additional stress.