Can You Overcome Emotional Neglect or is Your Marriage Doomed?
ShareA good marriage is a series of ups and downs that includes blissful moments of happiness and bitter arguments and fights. But what happens when your marriage has become an emotion-free zone without any type of conflict or warmth? Emotional neglect or distance may have formed. You must start work right away or your marriage may die.
Emotional Neglect Is A Real Problem
The beginnings of emotional neglect or distance can be rather difficult to understand. For example, your spouse may be interested in another person or simply have lost interest in you as a person. They may be bored or even depressed with their life. In many instances, emotional neglect may have nothing to do with you but instead fall on your spouse's shoulders.
No matter where it originates, emotional neglect will be painful for the person on the receiving end of it. You are likely to feel like your existence hardly matters to your loved one and that you can't get any reaction from them, good or bad. It may make it feel like your marriage is withering up and dying on the vine right in front of your eyes.
Symptoms Of Emotional Neglect
There are several issues that may showcase a lack of emotional interest from your partner. For example, if the two of you haven't had a fight in awhile, there's a good chance that there is a problem brewing here. That's because people who are emotionally neglectful have distanced themselves from their partner and aren't interested in pursuing any sort of interaction.
While this might seem strange, think of how likely you are to fight with somebody who doesn't engage your emotions. Most of us only get angry and fight when somebody we care about has hurt us. If your spouse no longer feels hurt by anything that you do (let alone any warm or emotional interactions the two of you have), serious emotional neglect has emerged.
You May Be Able To Save Your Relationship
If you believe that your spouse is being emotionally neglectful towards you, there is still a chance that you can save your relationship. This step won't be an easy one to perform. It requires bridging the gap between the emotional distance that has formed between the two of you and finding a way to connect again as people.
Sometimes, a simple vacation may be enough to manage this issue. Other times, you may need real marriage counseling to break through their emotional neglect and learn how to heal together as a couple. For example, they may be neglectful because they resent you for something in the past. Moving past this influence could save your marriage.
Unfortunately, there is also a chance that their emotional neglect has become too hardwired and that it cannot be overcome. This situation is a very painful and likely requires the advice of a divorce lawyer, like those from Armstrong Betker and Schaeffer PLC, to manage. It may be for the best of both of you if the situation has become untenable.