Here are signs you could use a little relationship counselling
Trying to resolve issues or simply wanting to fortify your connection? Counselling may help!
It’s safe to say when you enter a committed relationship, you do so in hopes that it will last. When you’re at the start of a relationship, your glasses are tinted in every shade of roses. You feel like you have great compatibility and there is an abundance of love—and that all of this is enough for you to last a lifetime. Sure, if you were in a rom-com. Truth is, the coming together of two people is just the start of a journey that will have several ups and downs. Falling in love is easy, staying in love is rather hard.
All of us come with our own set of past experiences, personality traits and expectations—many of which were developed in our formative years. Sometimes, it requires us to unlearn a lot of those things in order to build a healthy relationship—and it’s not easy to just switch off years of conditioning without a little help!
In fact, whether you need help with issues in your relationship, or need support fixing your toxic patterns or just want some upkeep, relationship counselling can be a good choice.
If you’re wondering if you should go for couples’ therapy, here are signs that suggest you should!
You’re not able to communicate honestly
When it comes to relationships—romantic or platonic—honest communication means everything. This means that if you are struggling with speaking your mind or saying things truthfully, there are underlying issues that need to be resolved. According to a study, people in relationships tend to lie by omission due to the fear of disapproval from their partners. However, in a healthy relationship, you should be able to speak your mind, make mistakes, and take your own decisions, without hiding under the façade of pseudo-perfection. If you find honesty leaving the building, it may be time to go for relationship counselling to fix your communication.
You feel suffocated
If your relationship is making you feel claustrophobic, there may be issues you are yet to address. The lack of communication or not being able to pursue something or fulfill your desires may be causing you to feel suffocated. Irrespective of the reason, this is not how a healthy relationship looks like, and you could use some couples’ therapy for rectifying the same.
There is a lack of forgiveness
In relationships that last, there is a lot of forgiveness involved. You cannot simply hold grudges against your partner and not look at their mistakes with empathy. If one of the two persons is finding it hard to forgive the other person, the first thing to do is to figure out if they intend to. If you, as a couple have decided to bury the hatchet and turn over a new leaf, you will have to work through the ugly feelings and truly forgive each other—it may require couples’ counselling and you should go for it.
You’re having intimacy issues
A 2020 research says that many long-term couples find it hard to maintain intimacy in relationships due to various reasons such as fading enthusiasm, work pressure, lack of personal time, etc. It could be one of these things or any other reason, but if the physical affection between you is diminishing, it won’t hurt to seek professional help.
One or both persons are going through grief
Grief may make a person feel withdrawn, unaffectionate, or indifferent for a while. On the other hand, some people tend to become more dependent and anxious. Either way, if your partner is going through something, and you want to support them, you can both go to couples’ counseling, so this tough time can strengthen your bond instead of testing it.
For relationship maintenance
Many people think couples’ counselling is only when things are way out of hand and you have a mountain of problems lying in front of you. But consider it like a relationship spa or fuel. You can go for maintenance therapy to continue nurturing your relationship and fortifying your connection in the best possible way.
