Many couples are looking for relationship counselling in Geelong as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is such a positive step to take when your relationship is struggling because according to recent Australian data, relationship counselling positively impacts 70% of couples. Being in a healthy relationship benefits not only our emotional health, the health of the family, but also our physical health and overall wellbeing.
So what are the effects of stress on a relationship? When one or both people within a couple are experiencing stress it can create a negative cycle whereby each person reacts to the other’s stress and this intensifies the situation, leaving you both feeling more frazzled, snappy, unsupported, or overwhelmed. When this cycle has been going on for a long time you might find yourself or your partner withdrawing, bottling up emotions, or find it difficult to communicate honestly without setting each other off.
It is so important for the couple to identify what each other needs when under stress and find ways to talk about this, in order to support each other and keep the relationship afloat. Instead, there is typically a lack of communication and understanding, the couple drift further apart and become more polarised on certain issues. Although it can be difficult at times to talk about what is driving the stress in your relationship and to express negative feelings about each other, couples usually find the talking process helpful because it leads to resolution. Once couples have been locked in a negative cycle and can’t communicate effectively, seeing a trained professional couples therapist or relationship counsellor to facilitate this process a must. It will lead to a better outcome for you, your partner, and ultimately the relationship.
Many people who seek therapy to deal with the impact of stress on their relationship find that they feel more supported, feel more understood by their partner, have more insight into how to support their loved one, are better equipped at dealing with other conflicts or issues that come up in their relationship, and feel more like a unified team.
If you live in the Geelong region, contact us at Mindwell Psychology to book an appointment for relationship counselling.