Anxiety is Impacting Your Relationships
When you have anxiety, you are likely well aware of how frustrating and uncomfortable it is when irrational thoughts swarm your mind. Still, you might think to yourself, as long as I keep my anxiety to myself, at least it won’t affect anyone else. But unfortunately, these periods of panic and unhealthy thoughts can seep into all areas of your life.
The feelings of fear, doubt, or tension that your anxiety causes can impact how you view your relationships, which can strain the relationships themselves. Whether it’s a romantic partner, friend, colleague, or family member, your anxiety can harm your ability to form and maintain connections in various ways. Here are four of them:
Anxiety keeps you from being present
Anxiety makes it hard to feel ground / be grounded — meaning your worries or fears make you less aware of what’s going on in the present. The impact of your anxiety keeping you from being present is more of an umbrella term, potentially harming your relationship in a few ways.
For one, when you spend time with someone you care for, it becomes a challenge to convey that. When you are preoccupied with your thoughts, it becomes almost impossible to forge close connections. You will likely struggle to have meaningful conversations because you aren’t listening well, communicating clearly yourself, remembering things a person says, or attuning to their needs.
Anxiety can make you overly dependent
It’s understandable that someone with anxiety would strongly desire support. After all, if you constantly imagine the worst or overthink, it helps to have a reliable person to turn to for some relief or reassurance. That said, there is a difference between wanting to be close to your partner or friend, and becoming anxious when they don’t reply right away.
These feelings can worsen any current fears of rejection or trust issues you may already have, leading to anger or resentment. The other person might not have actually done anything wrong, butyour anxiety tells you to point the blame at something or someone other than it. All of these negative feelings can dismantle peace within yourself, and trust within a relationship.
Anxiety can create distance
Not everyone with anxiety develops an intense need for closeness. Sometimes anxiety can cause you to avoid negative emotions. In terms of relationships, this means not expressing feelings or opening up.
You might struggle to express your feelings or set boundaries. Or your avoidance of negative emotions might make you isolate yourself completely. These are problems, as healthy relationships require presence and communication.
Anxiety causes doubt and panic
With anxiety in relationships, it’s hard to tell if you are avoiding vulnerability or just overthinking whether your feelings are valid and worth discussing. In this way, anxiety can create distance through doubt, as well.
Doubts, worries, and overthinking put a strain on both people in the relationship. Your anxiety makes it hard to know whether you should address your emotions immediately or wait. It makes it harder to know where your thoughts are coming from and not just if you open up, but how.
No matter what, you know that if you keep them in altogether, they will eventually spiral out of control. It’s important that you acknowledge and address your feelings before too long, and it doesn’t have to turn into a panicked situation. Always think conversations over confrontations, and to be honest, compassionate, and intentional in your interactions. Get out of your head and on the same page as the other person.
Remember: this post is for informational purposes only and may not be the best fit for you and your personal situation. It shall not be construed as legal, financial, or medical advice. The information and education provided here is not intended or implied to supplement or replace professional advice of your own attorney, accountant, physician, or financial advisor. Always check with your own physician, attorney, financial advisor, accountant, or other business or medical professional before trying or implementing any information read here.
