How Anxiety Ruins Relationships

Anxiety can be a big problem. Not only does it impact your daily life and your physical health, but it can also affect your relationships. But how? Before we jump into that, let's take a quick look at what happens in the body when you get anxious.

Without getting into all the science of it, when you become anxious, your Fight-or-Flight Response kicks on. And when that system is activated, a whole lot of stuff happens physiologically in the body like:

~Higher blood pressure

~Increased heartrate

~Slowed digestion

~Shallower breathing

The biggest thing that happens, though, is that your body pumps out cortisol (the stress hormone), and that natural chemical (along with everything else happening in your body) can affect how you behave. And this it the piece we want to pay attention to for today's discussion.

Have you ever noticed how irritable you get when you are under a lot of stress? That's because of the physiological processes taking place in your body.

The longer you have anxiety, the more the effects of anxiety will wreck havoc on your life! And this is going to make you irritable, grumpy, and easily annoyed. When you're in this state of mind, you're going to act out towards the people you love most.

How Anxiety Affects Relationships

If you're irritable all the time because of your anxiety, that will definitely impact how you engage with your family and friends.

Think of the last time you felt super overwhelmed... I'd be willing to bet you were short-tempered and probably "snapped" at someone who didn't deserve it from you. I'd also be willing to guess that what happened next was an argument or some other type of conflict between you and that person.

See, that's the issue with anxiety. Eventually, it begins to turn you into a person who is angry all the time, lacks patience, and is always annoyed with anything and everything.

This, in turn, causes you to have less tolerance and patience with your kids, which turns you into an angry parent.

Or, it causes you to frequently "snap" at your spouse, boyfriend/girlfriend, or life partner. That means you guys will argue more frequently and the relationship will slowly deteriorate overtime.

Anxiety can also impact your friendships. Think about it- misery loves company, but nobody loves misery! When you're anxious all the time and acting irritable, the people around you are going to want some distance from you and all your anxious energy. That means your friends begin pulling away, and that leaves you alone and isolated.

Can you see how anxiety ruins your relationships? It's a serious problem that just feedbacks into itself, causing an even bigger mess!

The good news is, however, anxiety is super treatable. That means you can take back control of your life and save your relationships!

Where to Get Help for Anxiety

There are lots of ways to get help for your anxiety! But one of the best treatment options is psychotherapy (aka: therapy or counseling). A good therapist can teach you tons of skills to help you control your anxiety. Then, you guys can work together to figure out where that anxiety came from to begin with!

It's an incredible journey to take, but it can take some time to see the results. So be patient and keep working at it.

If you're not ready for therapy, however, you could also consider an Anti-Anxiety Workshop where you'll learn many of the same skills you would in therapy. If you're a DIY'er, then a workshop might be just the thing for you.

If you're interested in an anti-anxiety workshop, consider joining mine! You can learn more information by visiting kcdreisbach.com/anxiety-free-life.

I hope this article was helpful. Until next time!