Sadly, the end result could turn out to be one of resentment and feeling trapped.
What Is Marriage Burnout?
In simple words, marriage burnout is a condition of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion that happens when partners expect their marriage to meet all their needs, but instead, they repeatedly find out that it fails to do so. It is the result of a combination of high expectations, different types of stress life brings, and unmet needs. Eventually, episodes of dissatisfaction become more common, and what was once just a slight annoyance becomes a constant source of frustration.
People within a marriage who experience burnout tend to dwell on past mistakes, real or perceived, while feeling more and more hopeless and physically drained.
According to a study published in the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, “marriage burnout is often a result of unrealistic expectations combined with accumulated life stress, which leads to emotional exhaustion and diminished intimacy.” Burnout does not manifest suddenly but is a slow process that often goes unnoticed until it reaches a critical point.
Signs of Marriage Burnout
The first step of overcoming marriage burnout is recognizing it exists and that it is an issue. Some signs of marriage burnout include:
Feeling exhausted, hopeless, and stuck in the marriage.
Losing interest in being intimate with your partner.
Focusing on all the things your spouse is doing wrong instead on the ones you fell for him in the first place.
Feeling as though your needs are never or not quite met.
Remember that if you have ever experienced any of these feelings, you are not alone. Research suggests that a number of couples in midlife experience these sorts of changes in their priorities and expectations which actually leads to these feelings. The good thing is that marriage burnout doesn’t need to be a permanent condition and can actually be overcome.
Preventing and Recovering from Marriage Burnout
Below are several strategies couples can adopt in order to overcome marriage burnout.
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