- Date posted
- 13w
- Date posted
- 13w
What to Say to Your Wife When "I'm Sorry" Isn't Enough That's an incredibly difficult experience, and your feelings of anger and hurt are completely valid. It takes immense courage to open up about feeling depressed, especially to your partner, and to be met with such a dismissive response can feel like a punch to the gut. Here are a few ways to approach this, keeping in mind that your feelings are valid and deserve to be acknowledged: Acknowledge Your Feelings First, allow yourself to feel what you're feeling. It's okay to be angry, sad, frustrated, or confused. Your wife's reaction was hurtful, and it's important to recognize that. Communicate Your Needs Directly When you're ready, consider having another conversation with your wife. It might be helpful to explain how her reaction made you feel, without accusations. You could say something like: * "When I told you I was feeling depressed and you just said 'I'm sorry' and walked away, I felt really hurt and dismissed. It took a lot for me to tell you that, and I was hoping for more of a reaction or for you to stay and talk with me." * "I need you to understand that when I share something so personal and vulnerable, I need you to be present and engaged. Your response made me feel like my feelings weren't important." Explore Her Perspective (Without Excusing Her Behavior) While her reaction was hurtful, it's possible there's something else going on with her. She might have been uncomfortable, unsure how to respond, or even overwhelmed herself. This doesn't excuse her behavior, but it might help you both understand it better. You could ask: * "When I told you I was feeling depressed, what was going through your mind?" * "Were you unsure how to respond, or did you just need a moment?" Seek Professional Help Regardless of your wife's reaction, it's important to address your depression. A therapist or counselor can provide a safe space for you to talk through your feelings and develop coping strategies. They can also help you navigate this conversation with your wife if you choose to include her. Set Boundaries It's important to communicate what you need from your partner when you're feeling vulnerable. If you're going to share something so personal again, you might want to set expectations, like, "I'm about to tell you something really important to me, and I need you to just listen and be with me for a few minutes." Remember, your feelings matter and you deserve support. It was very brave of you to be able to come out and express how you were feeling to your partner. I hope this helps!
- Date posted
- 13w
I’m sorry this was her response! Unfortunately, there’s so many people out there that do not understand what it’s like to suffer with depression nor do they know how or what to say to a person who is suffering with depression please know that you’re not alone and there’s plenty of people out there that would give you more than just “ I’m sorry.”
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 13w
May I ask you what you expected her or wanted her to say. I've done a DBT IOP and I learned lots of things. One thing my psychiatrist asks me when I say " I felt hurt because you didn't respond to me and I think you hate me, et" is what else can it be? So in this case " why else could your wife have said sorry & walked away?" I learned this dbt ABC thing. A is the activating event - so you told your wife & she responded with... B- all of the beliefs/thoughtsyou have about above C the feelings you feel about above For example: A-my friend didn't call me back. C- sad, worried, angry, upset, unworthy, frustrated, scared ( I use the feelings wheel) B - I'm not important and that's why she didn't call back. I think something happened and they got into a car accident and died My friends so rude not calling me back. I do it a c then b. After I write down all my feelings and thoughts, then I challenge all of them. I go through my cognitive distortions there are 12. For example - she didn't call me back because im not important. I'm not worth her time. She never calls me back. That's mind reading. Overgeneralizating, jumping to conclusions. Truth - I don't really know why she didn't call me back. It is OUTSIDE MY SPHERE OF CONTROL. I'll wait and see. The following words aren't helpful & I highlight them in my journal. Then i challenge them too. Should Ought to Never Always Must Can't For example: you should call me when your running late. Should implies blame and guilt towards the other person. You should've known etc. Well, how would they know until they know? Or "you always do tha". Always implies all the time. Oh, well you didn't do it that one time..ah, not always. Lastly knowing the difference between NEED and WANT. Need isn't what I thought it was. I need food & water. I don't NEED my friend to call me. I WANT my friend to call me. When we say I need you to...that's not really accurate. It's I want you to... When I'm slammed w lots of emotions about something, I journal if possible. Trust me journaling is the best thing ever. I do the ABC, then I put it down fir a while. I want to feel like I'm in my wise mind not emotional lizard brain reactive impulsive mind. So I end this epic tome with the same question. Why else did she react that way?
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 13w
Yep get this all the time 😞
Related posts
- Date posted
- 21w
No one understands what I’m going through. My husband used to be my biggest supporter but not we’re separated and I try to explain to my parents why I’m upset when I have panic attacks but they don’t get it. For Example: This morning I told my mom I was having a panic attack. And she just kept asking “why? What’s wrong? U were so happy yesterday. When I said, I didn’t know I just was having this panic attack. She did not understand one bit. She just kept asking me why why why? And I’m like I don’t know. 😭 it makes me just wanna stay away from everyone and just isolate because people don’t understand. I know it’s not their fault. I’m actually glad they don’t understand because that means they’re not going through the pain I’m going through.
- Date posted
- 19w
i went to therapy today and i told her about the lack of feeling i gave with my boyfriend, when we do anything, and all the anger i feel for no reason and she somehow told me im not sure i didnt understand it that , it dosent make sense that i want to love him but i dont feel love and i feel disgust when we kiss and thinngs and that i cant accept the truth????? like she is telling me i have lots of fear in me and im telling her im scared that i dont love him but this relationship is making me feel sad and uneassy when i want to be happy and calm bur i kept telling her all of this is bc of the thoughts and she told me that the thoughts are suppose to ease ar least when i am with him… i didnt tell my bf i wrnt to therapy bc he thinks they only want money, and that they can help me but i hav to help myself, and last time i went to therapy i wasnt feeling better and he is wondering how i wasnt feeling any better and that its strange to him to do “steps “ like this bc they only want money. And i left more confused and sad because she confirmed my fears somehow? i dont understand. im just scared i dont actually love him and that i only put high expectations on this relationship and i cant accept the truth. She told me , after i told her i always told people that these thoughts are not true bc they felt out of place, that we can say one thing and feel one thing and i felt like she was telling me again that these thoughts are real. I know im sad and miserable but i dont want to be like this, im scared that i iust matured and i simply dont love him
- Date posted
- 17w
Due to the experience I’m having with SOOCD… The false attraction to same gender and loss of attraction to opposite gender gender, I havnt been intimate with my wife for a while. Really struggling and it makes me just want to end it to be honest. Last night my wife and I had a argument about not being intimate and she said ‘you might as well be gay’ Well that put me in a horrendous spiral. I havnt slept and my anxiety is so high my chest feels like it’s crushing in. I’ve sweat all night. She doesn’t know what she’s done as she doesn’t really know about all my issues.
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