In any relationship, there will be ups and downs. There will be points where you feel at ease, but your partner feels stress and vice versa. There will be moments when you both share stressors or even moments when you are coincidentally stressed about separate issues. Regardless of the stressor, it is important that you learn how to navigate stress together as a couple. This will not only help to strengthen your relationship, but it will further provide you with tools to be better equipped in the future.

If you are looking to talk further about your relationship, feel free to reach out to me to schedule a consultation for couples therapy.

1. Find your own form of handling stress

Before you can really be able to help others, you need to be able to help yourself. One simple way to do so is to find your own form of stress release. This doesn’t need to be a whole formal process -- it just needs to be something that makes you feel comforted, accomplished, and at ease. For some, this may include meditating, yoga, or journaling. For others, it may be getting some fresh air and going for a walk. Whether it be exercise, baking cookies, taking a bath, or even binging a Netflix show, stress release looks different for everyone. Find a way to handle your stress without your partner, so that when there is a strain in the relationship or your partner is going through stress, you will be in a clearer, better headspace to work through it.

2. Don’t be afraid to ask for help

When you’re feeling stressed, you might lose sight of other people’s emotions or feelings, forgetting that your partner wants to help and does not want to see you struggle. It is important that you are able to confide in your partner and that they are willing to listen to you. Your partner is not there to judge you, their role is to support you and to care for you through the good and the bad. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and to share what you are going through. Keeping your feelings to yourself is only going to cause you to ruminate further and let the stress contaminate other aspects of your life. Speaking to a professional can also help you cope and process your feelings in a healthy way.

3. Remember the good

When things feel stressful, we tend to lose sight of rationality. We experience tunnel vision, and suddenly everything around us is just as much of an inconvenience as the initial stressor. When this happens, it is easy to attach a negative lens to all aspects of your environment, including your relationship. Be sure to isolate the stressor -- if you are experiencing stress as a couple, you and your partner need to make a distinction between what’s been good and what you may want to improve. Reminding yourself to see the light in situations, conversations, and people not directly related to the stressor will allow you to find tranquility as you navigate the stress.

4. Be supportive as you are on the same team!

Being supportive of your partner is an incredibly useful tool. You both care for each other greatly and want to see each other happy. Sometimes it can be as simple as just being there to listen so that your partner can talk it out. Ask your partner what he or she needs from you to best support them. So often, we want to offer solutions but that may not be what they need at that moment. Stress is normal. It comes in waves, some bigger and heavier than others. We all experience it, and the best thing we can do is be supportive and empathize when those we care about are undergoing a stressful period of time.

For more information, or if you want to schedule an appointment, feel free to contact me here.