How does stress affect relationships?

These are the ways in which excess stress negatively affects couple relationships.

Stress is one of the most studied alterations for decades in the field of Psychology, and that is why we now know that it affects many areas of life, both personally and professionally.

Stress can also play a very important role in couple relationships, affecting in a decisive way a great variety of dynamics of communication, coexistence, expression of emotions and interactions in general. Here you will find a summary of the main ways in which ways in which the problems derived from feeling too much stress affect love relationships in couples..

Problems derived from stress in couple relationships

These are the most common ways in which excessive stress damages life as a couple.

1. Misunderstanding

One of the main effects that stress has on relationships is the feelings of incomprehension and frustration that one of the two parties experiences because of their situation.

People who bear very stressful burdens in their day-to-day lives may feel that their partner does not understand them. may feel that their partner does not understand them or is not aware of the discomfort they are experiencing in their daily lives..

At the same time, prolonged exposure to high stress both personally and professionally can cause some people to take their discomfort out on the other partner.

2. Habitual arguments

Exposure to high levels of stress often leads to irritability. and discomfort in one or both partners, which ultimately results in an increase in arguments in the couple.

The discussions in the couple usually appear in all kinds of everyday situations and of little apparent importance, especially those related to coexistence or daily communication.

3. Feelings of guilt

Another of the habitual phenomena that take place before stressful situations in a relation is the appearance of feelings of guilt on the part of the person who suffers it.

This feeling of guilt is often experienced for not being able to fully enjoy the couple's relationship, and also for feeling responsible for the fact that the relationship is not being fully enjoyed.The guilt is often experienced for not being able to fully enjoy the relationship, and also for feeling responsible for the other person being able to feel completely comfortable in the situation.

4. Spending less time on the relationship

Stressful lifestyles with a wide variety of professional demands often lead to poor time management due to anxiety and an overload of "fronts" to deal with at once, which in turn leads to inefficient time managementThis in turn leads to inefficient time management, resulting in poor work-life balance.

People who dedicate less and less time to their partner due to stress internalize a short-term perspective of reality and prefer to use their time to prosper at work rather than invest it in their partner.

5. Sexual dysfunctions

For several years, psychology and medical professionals have studied the relationship between stressful situations and the appearance of various sexual dysfunctions that can affect the proper functioning of the intimate life of couples.

We now know that stress can cause or precipitate the appearance of problems such as erectile dysfunction. problems such as erectile dysfunction, vaginismus, premature ejaculation and decreased sexual appetite in both men and women. in both men and women.

6. Family conflicts

As has been indicated, stress is one of the major generators of discussions that exist both at the level of the couple and in other spheres of daily life.

That is why it can also be common to have increasingly frequent arguments with both the closest family we live with on a daily basis and with distant relatives with whom we interact infrequently during the year, and even with the in-laws. The discomfort that arises when a person does not get along well with his or her in-laws can lead to the situation of "getting can lead to the situation of "siding" with someone else, which is psychologically draining.This is psychologically draining and indirectly damages the couple's own relationship.

7. Personal insecurities

The stress usually causes a series of insecurities in one or both members of the couple that are also related to low self-esteem, the belief that we are not good enough for the other person or the fear that he/she will leave us..

This feeling of insecurity usually appears especially in young people due to lack of experience in dating relationships.

What to do?

The best way to deal with this type of problem, both excessive stress and complications in life as a couple, is to go to psychotherapyeither for individualized sessions or for a couples therapy program.

Therefore, if you notice that these emotional complications affect your quality of life or put your courtship or marriage in a vulnerable situation, I invite you to contact me. I am an expert psychologist in emotional problems and couples crisis.