How To Help Your Spouse Cope With Work Stress
Home is a sanctuary for work stress, right? Not always. Even if it’s easy for you to leave your projects and worries at the office, your partner may have trouble doing the same thing. It’s easy to bring home the stress of the day and maybe even have it rub off on you. However, it’s difficult to know what to say or do when your partner complains.
It may feel like you want to give up and you are losing patience with your spouse. What are some ways you can set boundaries at home to ensure that it remains a safe place for everyone in your home? We are here to give you the answer to that question by following our stress-coping tips!
Listen
Yes, this seems obvious, but you’d be surprised how often we don’t genuinely listen to our partner. With cell phones, pets, or even children, there are many distractions in place between you and your partner. Many of us have the tendency to only “half-listen” or passively listen. This is likely to get your partner even more frustrated than if you were to not pay attention at all. Instead, give your partner uninterrupted attention. Dedicate just a few minutes each day when they get home from work to listen to them talk about the day. It’s a good idea to avoid giving any sort of advice until later, most people just want to be heard without actually needing a solution to their problems. It’s amazing what a simple listening ear can do for your relationship.
Offer Support
Don’t just make them feel like you don’t care. After you have listened to their complaints and stressors, it’s a great idea to offer support. Of course, you are a team and you should be willing to consider and empathize with the way your partner feels. Be willing to express supportive statements like, “Is there anything I can do to help?” or “I’m sorry you feel that way.”
Try not to compare your stress to theirs. Even though it may feel like they are exaggerating or you had a more stressful day than they did, it is a good idea to keep it to yourself at the moment you are listening. If you tend to compare, it may make your significant other feel minimized and want to stray away from sharing with you in the future.
Offer Advice But Be Gentle
There are benefits to having a partner you’ve been with for longer periods of time because they usually know you better than yourself. As a loving partner, you can offer advice or ask the right questions, but do it gently. For example, if your partner complains about how much their feet hurt after a long day of work, you could offer the advice to help them purchase new, better-quality footwear like Caterpillar’s Second Shift boots, Danner Bull Run boots, or Timberland PRO boots. In other words–let them see that it’s okay to spend a lot of money on something that has the power to improve their quality of life so significantly. Sometimes, the solution could be right in front of them and they won’t even know it. They could be thinking their feet will always hurt because they stand so much during the day but never considered it could get better with new shoes!
Overall, it is important to find the blind spot for them and gently offer your guidance. They may be extremely thankful in the long run.
Understand Your Own Boundaries
Just because your partner is stressed out after work doesn’t mean you need to be there right away to jump to their rescue. You could have additional tasks on your to-do list or your own stress to deal with. Instead of trying to cater to them when you don’t really want to, remember that it’s okay to offer to follow up on the conversation later that evening or on the weekend. This way, you will be mentally ready to deal with your partner’s problems and can be in the right headspace to be there for them. The important thing is to leave the door open for a future conversation with them.
Decompress Together
What are some activities or stress-relief methods you and your partner enjoy together? This could be something as simple as watching your favorite Tv show together or cooking dinner. Try to put down your cell phones and find a way to relax with your spouse. Maybe you could even do some self-care like a fun face mask.
