Stress is one of the most studied disorders in the field of Psychology for decades, and that is why we currently know that it affects many areas of life, both personally and professionally.
Stress can also play a very important role in couple relationships, decisively affecting a wide variety of communication dynamics, coexistence, expression of emotions, and interactions in general. Here you will find a summary of the main ways in which the problems derived from feeling too stressed affect romantic relationships as a couple.
Problems Derived from Stress in Relationships
These are the most common ways that excess stress damages life as a couple.
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Misunderstanding
One of the main effects that stress has on couple relationships is the feelings of misunderstanding and frustration that one of the two parties experiences due to their situation.
People who bear very stressful loads in their day to day can come to think that their partner does not understand them or that they are not aware of the discomfort they are going through in their day-to-day life.
At the same time, prolonged exposure to high stress both in a personal and professional sphere can cause some people to pay for their discomfort in the other member of the couple.
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Common discussions
Exposure to high levels of stress usually favors the appearance of irritability and discomfort in one or both members of the couple, which ultimately translates into an increase in arguments in the same.
Arguments in the couple usually appear in all kinds of everyday situations and of little apparent importance, especially those related to coexistence or daily communication.
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Personal insecurities
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 they will leave us.
This feeling of insecurity tends to appear especially in young people due to a lack of experience in dating relationships.
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Spend less time in the relationship
Stressful lifestyles in which there is a great variety of professional demands tend to lead to poor time management due to anxiety and the overload of “fronts” to attend to at the same time, which in turn generates inefficient time management, leading to a poor work-life balance with family life.
People who spend less and less time with 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.
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Family conflicts
As indicated, stress is one of the greatest generators of discussions that exist both at the couple level and in other spheres of daily life.
That is why the appearance of increasingly frequent discussions can also be common both with the closest family with whom we live daily 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 with their in-laws can lead to the situation of “taking the side” of someone, which is psychologically exhausting and indirectly damages one’s relationship.
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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.
Today we know that stress can cause or precipitate the appearance of problems such as erectile dysfunction, vaginismus, premature ejaculation, and decreased sexual appetite in both men and women.
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Feelings of guilt
Another common phenomenon that occurs in stressful situations in a relationship is the appearance of feelings of guilt on the part of the person who suffers from it.
This feeling of guilt is often experienced by not being able to fully enjoy the relationship as a couple, and also by feeling responsible that the other person can feel completely comfortable in that situation.
