Relationship anxiety is a feeling of worry or stress caused by your partner, and it can have a major impact on your quality of life if you let it go unchecked. Relationship anxiety manifests itself in many ways, from frequent arguments to disagreements about the most mundane topics, but there are always warning signs that something just isn’t right in your relationship.
If you want to figure out what those signs are and how to overcome them, keep reading for more information on how to spot relationship anxiety and what to do about it.
1. Letting Work Dictate Your Mood
All the time you spend working can really change your mood. For some, it’s a refreshing diversion from worries about loved ones, but for others, it has the opposite effect: Every new problem gets them angrier and more frustrated.
This can really affect your relationship with your partner or significant other because you’re in a bad mood when you come home and you have little energy left over for them after work. At this point, anxiety is usually setting in – and with good reason!
2. Checking on Your Partner’s Every Move
It can be very normal to worry about your partner when they are late coming home from a party, date, or any other event that you don’t know about. However, it is not at all normal for your partner’s every movement and whereabouts to be under constant surveillance.
If you find yourself repeatedly texting or calling your partner for updates on their whereabouts and if you can’t stop thinking about them during the day – especially when they are doing something as simple as taking out the trash – there may be a problem.
3. Having Disagreements That Feel Unresolved
One major sign is feeling like you and your partner disagree a lot. This can mean that there are more frequent arguments over small things. It can also mean that one or both of you are feeling misunderstood and unheard.
If this is the case, it’s important for both parties to try and listen more and be open-minded about other people’s points of view. Another sign is that when one person in the relationship makes even a minor mistake, it seems like it causes an enormous argument.
4. Feeling Guilty if You’re Not Doing Enough For The Relationship
If you’re always feeling guilty because you can’t do enough for your relationship, it’s time to find a new balance. You shouldn’t be working or putting so much energy into the relationship that there is none left over for yourself and your other relationships.
Feeling guilty is not a good sign and indicates you are sacrificing too much of yourself. Talk with your partner about what you both expect out of the relationship and see if this makes you feel less stressed out and more at ease in general.
5. Blaming Others as an Excuse Not To Act or Change
Blaming others is an indication that you are struggling with anxiety and find the idea of confronting your fears too challenging. This can often be because the other person does not control the situation. But if there is something you can do about it, for instance telling them how you feel or proposing a solution, then this would be much more constructive.
6. Having Self-Doubts About Your Partner
No one likes having doubts about their partner, but sometimes those little things that bug you the most are actually a sign that something is seriously wrong. After all, if you were sure they were the right one for you then why would they be on your mind so often?
7. Relying on Your Partner’s Approval
It is difficult when you feel as though your partner’s approval determines the actions that you take in your life. One way this type of anxiety can manifest itself is if you find yourself only making choices with your partner’s approval in mind.
For example, if your spouse makes a decision and then invites feedback from you, but you tell them what they should do instead. The other warning sign might be if most of the things that have been decided on throughout your relationship were made together and with each other in mind.