Is your husband making you feel like shit?
A lot of the women I work with blame their husbands for the way they feel. ‘He makes me feel like shit’, they tell me.
‘He doesn’t surprise me anymore’.
‘I feel like we’re little more than housemates’.
‘He doesn’t put in any effort’.
‘He doesn’t look at me the way he used to’.
I feel …..unappreciated.
Lonely.
Unattractive.
Bored.
In essence, ‘He makes me feel like shit’.
While it’s true that some husbands need to shape up, take some responsibility and put a whole lot more effort into their marriages, there’s something the women I work with often need to be taking responsibility for too. That is …
Themselves. And the way they feel.
They need to focus less on what their husbands are doing that brings them down, and more on what they themselves can do to raise themselves up.
Need more help with this?
How does it feel to hear me utter those hard hitting words beautiful woman? Even if it feels uncomfortable and challenging (which is totally understandable!), I encourage you to keep reading and hear me out …
While it’s DEFINITELY not okay to be disrespected or hurt in a relationship, it’s not unusual for marriages to go through troughs where one or both of the people involved feel like the marriage has lost it’s spark or that things have become dull, monotonous or stale. If you’re here, in this space though, I know that you DON’T want your marriage to feel like this. I suspect that you want your marriage to feel loving, ALIVE, harmonious, and for there to be a deep connection between yourself and your hubby.
Although it would be wonderful for your husband to take responsibility and begin to shift things in your marriage, he’s not (otherwise you wouldn’t be here, reading this). Which is why you need to take things into your own hands.
WHY?
Because we have ZERO control over anyone else. ZERO! And the only thing that’s going to make you feel more pissed off and shit, is the cycle of you trying to change your husband and his behaviour, and him continuing stay the same.
The only thing we have 100% control over in this whole world, is ourselves.
Trying to change someone else will only leave you feeling angry and upset if they don’t morph into the person you want them to be.
Trying to change yourself however is empowering and freeing (because you actually have the power to change yourself!)
Instead of blaming your husband for making you feel unappreciated, why don’t you fill your self love tank and start appreciating yourself more?
Instead of blaming your husband for making you feel lonely, why don’t you get out there and start connecting with others?
Instead of blaming your husband for making you feel unattractive, why don’t you dress up in something that makes you feel good, get your hair done and head out for a boogie with your ladies?
Instead of blaming your husband for making you feel bored, why don’t you do something that makes you feel alive? Or learn a new hobby?
One of the biggest differences I see in the marriages of people who are happy and content, and those who are feeling fed up and dissatisfied, is that both people in the partnership take responsibility for themselves. They don’t rely on the other person to make them feel a certain way. They take responsibility for feeling how they want to feel and then gratefully soak up anything extra their partner offers them.
Let me say that living life in this way is far more enjoyable than the alternative. Because the alternative will see your levels of happiness and joy dangling at the mercy of others.
Take responsibility for yourself honey. Take responsibility for filling your own cup. Take responsibility for feeling good. Because if you’re not doing it yourself, then how can you possibly expect anyone else to?
If what I’ve shared resonates, I encourage you to dive deeper and explore my program More Joy less struggle. This will gift you all the tools you need to invite more joy and pleasure into your life. Relationships struggle when we, the individuals in those relationships, struggle. If you want to start taking responsibility for your own happiness and in turn positively impact the health of your marriage, then ‘More Joy less struggle’ will gift you everything you need to begin your journey.
Don’t stop there. Keep exploring. Check out my post Why am I a bitch to the one I love?
For practical guidance and tools to help your relationship, sign up here
Nicole
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Hi, I'm Nicole Mathieson, a relationship and body image coach, couple therapist and author.
My relationships blog helps couples learn practical ways to cultivate a deeper understanding of one another, find safety and connection in relationships, navigate difficult conversations and repair after conflict.
Good article!
It’s not fare I have to always be the one in counseling or pursuing how to keep the this marriage connected. He changes into a rude evil pperson when he drinks. Then he hides it from me and makes me feel like I’m the one that agitated him when really the booze makes him a shovenistic jerk sometimes I feel like when he’s drunk he turns almost racist. He never admits to the gravity of the verbal bashing next day he just expects things to flow back to normal .my marriage feels like I cater to his needs and he just expects it and there is little to know effort on his end unless I ignoring (for obvious reasons) I don’t know how to untangle this web. I wish I could do this class if I thought it would work, but sometimes I think an alien abduction would be easier. This really freaking sucks life os to short for this .
This marriage is not what I thought it would be .
Signed ,
Annoyed Skincrawling
Teresa, I am so sorry that you find yourself in such an uncomfortable place in your marriage. I recommend you get some help.
xNicole
I have been married for over 58 years. My husband has no feelings
For me., I wait on hands on foot. We were born in the 1940’s
And he makes like a pice of SHIT, What did I do wrong? I raise 2 children went through Vietnam war with him.Why….. I am 77 yrs old
I have waited on him hand and foot. WHAT DID I DO WRONG..?
Hi Sharon,
I am so sorry to hear the regret in your words. I don’t think you did anything wrong apart from do what was expected of you in the time and place of the cultural context. This is so hard. I really hope that you are able to find some sense of sovereignity and joy in the next phase of your life.
Nicole