Married to an emotionally unavailable partner

So we’ve been married for over 5 years. I saw the signs when we were dating but am more willing to deal with it as I had parents this way as well. I however, thought as many do, that he will change and improve over time. There have been some things here and there that have gotten better but for the most part we live separate emotional lives. I’m at a point where I’m really struggling. I need more emotional support and have communicated this, but have reached where I get anxiety to state my needs due to the defensiveness and even more distance that it causes. My pregnancy and post-partum have exacerbated the issue. Anyone have tips or suggestions for what has worked for you?
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This may not be the answer that you would want to hear but never expect a person to change . He may never change . Either you accept him how he is and learn to live with it or not . Im also going through something similar. I wanted my child’s father to love me the way I felt like he should love me . But he could only do it his way .

I would recommend couples therapy. It's all about understanding each other better. You surely must love each other, but both of you may need a bit of guidance on how to navigate together. There are no perfect couples, just people who are willing to make it work and support each other through it

I second what Kameshia said. You clearly are feeling unsatisfied in this type of a relationship and you have to be honest with yourself. You have your whole life ahead of you and should spend it happy. You can’t expect him to change, he may never do so, and if he does it for you only then it likely won’t stick. Most people need life events to wake them up, but some never have those. You have to love yourself enough to walk away. You can certainly try therapy first. For some it works and wakes them up. Either way though, you should certainly get into therapy yourself. It will help you see clarity more than one response from any of us could help you. It took me 3 yrs to sort something like this out.

You guys might potentially learn to communicate better which may result in your needs being met. I highly recommend you read the book Crucial Conversations

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