When you’re in a romantic relationship, you get many benefits. You can feel loved and desired, find a shoulder to cry on when you have a bad day, and plan fun activities together. In a perfect world, both of you feel comforted by mutual friendship and intimacy. Most relationships fluctuate, though, and one partner feels more secure than the other at any moment. However, there are many single Americans living with anxiety, and some of them mostly hesitate to enter romantic relationships. What’s more, adults may try romantic relationships for a short time and end them prematurely because they feel like a failure.
The Role of Self-Esteem
Many relationships never blossom because of one or both partners have chronic low self-esteem. A person with this problem may sabotage a new attachment, such as by saying negative things to the new person to push him or her away. The other partner may put up with it for a period of time, but soon he or she will tire of the negativity. He or she may walk away because the disadvantages outweigh the advantages of continuing the attachment. If you recognize a pattern of failed attempts at romantic relationships, you might need counseling. Anxiety or low self-esteem are potential reasons, but there are other possible explanations. You could be a victim of trauma or abuse. You may have to change your beliefs about what a relationship looks like. By trying therapy for anxiety and other mental health issues, you will learn strategies to manage your emotions and thoughts in any kind of relationship. After completing therapy, you may feel more equipped to find a relationship that satisfies your needs for love and belonging.
Understanding What Causes Your Anxiety
Some patients who come to therapy have an anxiety disorder. Due to their past treatment, they know they have social anxiety or a range of other conditions. They know what they are dealing with and why they should talk to someone. They may know some coping strategies, but they aren’t able to manage their anxiety alone or just with medication. Fortunately, Mary can help people with many types of anxiety and address in therapy their current mental health needs. For example, a divorce may cause a healthy patient to enter a period of depression. The same person might have been coping well with anxiety prior to the life-changing event.
Feeling Positive About the Future
If you’ve ever planned a wedding, then you know it’s possible to arrange everything for the perfect day, but at least one thing will go wrong. There are many people who must do their parts to get the wedding going (i.e. the bride, groom, parents, caterers, clergy, entertainers), but there are also people who influence the day’s events. For example, weddings are notorious for family members bringing conflicts to the surface, much to the chagrin of other guests. It’s possible to think of your self-esteem as akin to planning a wedding. You want to feel better about yourself in the near future, and you can plan for many details. However, you must adjust your emotions each day based on what life brings. You should maintain a strong sense of self and a belief that you can handle anything. Finally, you can invest in relationships that provide emotional support. Then, on the day of the “wedding,” when you expect to be in a healthier mental state, you’re equipped for anything. If something goes wrong, you’ll get through the day. With anxiety therapy, you can feel more positive about the future, including changing how you view yourself in relationships and how you respond to unexpected events. If you can feel in control of your world, then your self-esteem, however high or low it might be at that moment, won’t stop you from finding fulfilling relationships.
For more information on anxiety therapy, please contact me.
