When You Feel Stuck in Your Marriage

This is not medical advice. If this is an emergency, go to your local ER or call 911.

You might feel like you’re fighting a losing battle because your spouse won’t go to couples counseling, won’t admit he has a drinking problem, or puts work before you.

Life–this kind of life–just isn’t sustainable. But you wonder what will change? How can it change when you’ve got kids, a busy work life, and your own mental health journey?

Taking an honest look at your relationship takes inner strength. Practical steps include making a list of wants and needs for your relationship. It requires a support system.

Sometimes journaling a timeline of the history of your relationship can help you to look at it from a wider lens. It helps to jot down the painful incidents from the past that have wounded you. Take a step back from them and discern which incidents are regrettable incidents that can be healed during therapy–and which are evidence of abuse.

If safety is a factor, put together a Go Bag, which is a tote containing your essentials (meds, paperwork, etc) that you can grab at a moment’s notice and run to safety.