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Managing relationships

Caring for a life partner when there is no emotional connection.

Caring for a life partner when there is no emotional connection.

Sooo

This is sort of a take 2 of a post t did a couple of weeks ago and deleted because it turned into a whinge fest and over share.

I have been trying to find a way to articulate this without it being a whinge, over the past couple of weeks I have read a number of stories that have helped with this.

So, in part just talking out loud to get it out, but also wonder how others approach this. I don't think there is actually any right or easy answer.

I support my wife of 26 years who lives with BpD and various other MI related diagnosis. Things are going ok right now relative to where we have been in the past. But doing ok takes enough pressure off to highlight just how not ok we are. There is little or no emotional connection in our relationship.

I am expected to always be emotionally and practically available. But get little in return. That sounds terrible but don't know how else to describe it.

I am an emotional person. I long to connect with the people I care about. But lacking that connection. And finding it hard to differentiate between unwilling and genuinely unable. There was a discussion on a different thread around the impact medication has on this.

It is hard being lonely in a house full of people, but being alone and lonely scares me more. Despite that leaving has never been an option and never will be, I made a commitment for better or worse, I just need to reconcile how to achieve that.

At the moment it feels like Darling puts up with me because she needs me.

Oldest child told his mother he hates me and wants nothing to do with me. Quick to call me though when he needs something.

Second son is trying hard to get along after months of conflict and tension.

Little person at least is please to see me each day.

21 replies

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In response to: Caring for a life partner when there is no emotional connection.

Re: Caring for a life partner when there is no emotional connection.

@tyme

Related discussion on the other thread I inadvertently hijacked.

In response to: Caring for a life partner when there is no emotional connection.

Re: Caring for a life partner when there is no emotional connection.

@Determined hey Determined it has been awhile i'm greenpea 😄 ! your situation is far out of my comfort zone i just wanted to post my support to you my friend and know that we are all with you. love bun (pea) xx

In response to: Caring for a life partner when there is no emotional connection.

Re: Caring for a life partner when there is no emotional connection.

Hey @Determined

It takes so much courage to articulate that sense of "loneliness in a full house." Please don't feel like this is a "whinge," it sounds like an honest reflection on the high emotional cost of long-term caregiving 💚

It is incredibly draining to be the one who is constantly "available" while feeling like your own emotional tank is on empty. That distinction you mentioned between someone being unwilling versus genuinely unable to connect is a painful grey area to navigate. When mental health conditions or medication flattens those emotional responses, the silence on the other end can feel personal, even when we know intellectually that it's part of the diagnosis.

Since leaving is not an option, some might find it helpful to view the caregiving role as a separate mission from the marriage. It doesn't make the loneliness disappear, but it can sometimes lower expectations for a "return" on that emotional investment, which might ease the sting of the deficit.

It is heartening to hear that the "little person" is a bright spot in your day. Sometimes, when the primary connection is fractured, leaning into those simpler, less complicated bonds can provide the micro-doses of connection needed to keep going.

When the emotional connection is not available at home, finding spaces such as this where your emotional nature is seen and valued is vital. You deserve to be poured into, too.

How are you looking after your emotional self this week? Even if it's just a few quiet minutes to yourself, you matter in this equation, too 💚

In response to: Re: Caring for a life partner when there is no emotional connection.

Re: Caring for a life partner when there is no emotional connection.

Hey @Bunniekins

Nice to see you again 😎

It has been a while

Life has been super busy,

In response to: Re: Caring for a life partner when there is no emotional connection.

Re: Caring for a life partner when there is no emotional connection.

@MatchaToad

"How are you looking after your emotional self this week? Even if it's just a few quiet minutes to yourself"

Making a commitment to walk to work instead of driving 3 times a week.

Gives me 40 mins of 'me time' morning and afternoon.

The other 2 says I have before and after work commitments that are time sensitive.

In response to: Re: Caring for a life partner when there is no emotional connection.

Re: Caring for a life partner when there is no emotional connection.

@Determined

There is something very grounding about physical movement and fresh air, especially when the atmosphere at home feels heavy or stagnant. Having that 80-minute "bookend" to your workday is more than just exercise; it's a protected space for you where no one is asking anything of you 💚

Do you think that the morning walks help "armour you up" for the day ahead, or are afternoon walks more important for decompressing before you step back through the front door? 💚

In response to: Re: Caring for a life partner when there is no emotional connection.

Re: Caring for a life partner when there is no emotional connection.

"Do you think that the morning walks help "armour you up" for the day ahead, or are afternoon walks more important for decompressing before you step back through the front door?"

@MatchaToad

Yes to both...

The walk to work helps me to reset and be ready for the day...

My job is very customer support focussed

(Internal face to face interaction)

That is essentially problem solving.

Far more effective when smiling and happy than sullen. I need to be approachable.

The walk home resets after a day at work.

Again at home I need to be smiling and happy for people to function. I can't take the day of work home with me. Not that work is bad, I love my job, but there is little down time.

And the fresh air is good.

A time to be mindful l both ways.

In response to: Re: Caring for a life partner when there is no emotional connection.

Re: Caring for a life partner when there is no emotional connection.

@Determined

It really sounds like those walks are your internal gear shift. It's a lot of pressure to feel like you have to be the one holding the "smiling and happy" energy in both environments, just so everyone else can function 💚

There is real skill in that kind of emotional labour, but it's definitely high-maintenance. Using the fresh air and mindfulness to shed the "work self" before taking on the "home self" is such a healthy way to protect your own well-being 💚

In response to: Re: Caring for a life partner when there is no emotional connection.

Re: Caring for a life partner when there is no emotional connection.

@MatchaToad pretty much.

Last year I did a 3 month contract that was 3 days a week with just under an hour commute each way. It was likewise beneficial. Walking is better though.

In response to: Re: Caring for a life partner when there is no emotional connection.

Re: Caring for a life partner when there is no emotional connection.

Hello dear @Determined ,

Cheering you on mate.

Hold your head up and tell yourself you are doing your very best.

We take our hats off to you.

You are too wonderful.

Look after yourself.

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