Marriage can bring immense joy to one’s life. Having a loving and trusting relationship can be one of the best things in life. However, it is not always free from life’s difficulties and challenges . The sad part is that an unhappy marriage can cause significant strain on the marriage and lead to depression and anxiety.

Many of these couples turn to marriage counseling to help them figure out what is wrong with their union.

While marriage is generally associated with positive effects on well-being, troubled relationships can have a significant negative impact on a couple’s physical and mental health.

How can marrying wrong affect your mental health?

1. An unhappy marriage affects your mental health by leading to an unhealthy lifestyle. People are highly influenced by the attitudes and actions of their romantic partners. When those attitudes and actions make you feel unloved and worthless, it can negatively impact your mind. This needs to be addressed right away through marriage counseling.

2. Increased Anxiety and Depression

   Studies show that our brains are programmed to depend on the person we form a bond with to manage our emotions. When experiencing fear, sadness, or anxiety, we rely on the person we love to show empathy and understanding. If our emotional needs are met with indifference, rejection, or anger, it can lead to issues with anxiety and depression.

3. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

   PTSD is commonly associated with traumatic events such as car accidents, but it can also be caused by the betrayal of a trusted loved one. This kind of betrayal can be incredibly psychologically devastating. It causes the body to enter a heightened state of alert to protect itself from emotional harm. This can lead to feelings of anxiety and a lack of control, making the individual feel as if they are going insane. They live in constant fear of being betrayed again. It is possible that certain reminders of the betrayal can trigger a paralyzing fear response.

   Traumatic events can happen in marriage. Abused spouses are susceptible to developing emotional and psychological trauma symptoms. Unless the couples go to marriage counseling, it will be difficult to bring back the sense of trust and security within the marriage.

4. Loneliness/ Bitterness

   In a marriage, loneliness happens when a person feels their partner doesn’t understand their needs and wants. A lack of attention increases the risk of mental health issues like anxiety and depression. This could be because a spouse is a workaholic and never at home, or it could be a more sinister deliberation, such as being ignored by a narcissist.

   Feeling lonely in a marriage has consequences. For example, when a person is lonely, they are less likely to engage in healthy activities and behaviours, such as exercising and eating healthily. Loneliness affects sleep, increases stress, lowers self-esteem and causes a spiral of negative thinking.

5. Toxicity in the guise of love

   Extreme events and circumstances do obvious damage to mental health, such as domestic violence, for example. But in a marriage, there are also lots of subtleties at play that can chip away at mental well-being.

FINAL NOTES

Every married couple strives to have a happy, healthy, and lasting marriage. But problems occur, and they can be pretty overwhelming and difficult to process. A bad marriage can indicate that the relationship has reached a point where everything seems hopeless and pointless.

However, if both partners are willing to put in the effort, there may still be hope for improvement. The result may depend on the specific issues present and the willingness of all parties to make the effort to change and fix any problems. Achieving perfection is not a feasible goal in relationships. Couples must be fully committed to improving their marriage and seeking marriage counseling.

Thank you.