Unhealthy Habits & Their Impact On A Marriage
Treatment
Overcome unhealthy habits and reconnect with your loved one
Unhealthy habits of any kind can have a debilitating impact on a relationship. If not addressed, the behaviors can alter the foundation in which the relationship is built.
It can be difficult to identify the line between recreational and problematic behavior . However, there is usually cause for concern if it begins to negatively impact responsibilities, commitments and communication amongst the two individuals.
The Impact of Unhealthy Habits on A Marriage:
- Detachment & Emotional Unavailability
- Unreliability
- Lack of trust and openness
- Financial instability
- Problems at work
- Reduced interest in personal maintenance
- Loss of interest in activities
What To Do If You Are Married To Someone Who Engages in Unhealthy Habits:
- Learn more about the behavior: It can be helpful to inform yourself about the nature, symptoms and treatments in order to better address the problem.
- Stop enabling: Once you have a clearer understanding of the situation and the types of enabling behaviors that a partner may engage in, it is essential to learn ways to establish appropriate boundaries in order to assist in helping address the problem.
- Care for yourself: It is essential to practice your own self care – focusing on your own mental and physical health, connecting with support. networks and establishing healthy ways to self regulate. In doing so, you become a better equipped to continue on this journey
- Seek help: It will be imperative for each of you to seek your own individual support while also working together as a couple.
How Couples Counseling Can Help
Although addressing the behavior is essential, couples counseling can also help the two individuals overcome other issues that have arisen as a result.
It is common for unhealthy habits and behaviors to negatively impact the trust, intimacy and communication within a relationship. In addition, one partner may be unknowingly enabling certain behaviors, in fear of causing further tension and discord.
In therapy, a couple will work to infold the intricacies of their dynamic. Learning to gain a better understanding of how these habits have impacted their perspectives, feelings and behaviors.
Together, the couple will work to regain trust by strengthening the foundation in which the relationship is built.
The Focus Of Our Work Together
One goal of couples counseling is to identify and address any potentially unhealthy behaviors. In doing so, we work to understand the impact that these behaviors have had on the dynamic within the relationship and work to re-establish healthy connections to one another.
