Work-life balance is all about finding time for life outside of work for leisure, family, health, and pleasure. Although work-life balance varies for different persons, a lack of work-life balance seems to be a common problem for several persons as sometimes our work commitments bleed into our home lives, even affecting our relationships with our partners.
Work stress can affect our relationships negatively and one study which followed 80 couples over four years discovered that couples who experienced more stress outside their relationship reported feeling less comfortable with their partners. They also felt less sure of the relationship compared with those who experienced less stress.
There are many signs that stress is beginning to take its toll on your relationship and these signs include:
Being super irritable
If you perceive everything your partner as an affront or get miffed extra easily, then it is, possible that work stress has begun to take its toll. The longer the stress lasts, the more likely you are to feel grumpy or argumentative and lash out.
Communicating less with your partner
When you are chronically stressed or overwhelmed your ability to communicate declines properly and this, is because stress can prevent your ability to focus and promotes negative thinking. It can also affect cognition, judgment and listening skills, all of which are required to communicate effectively.
Questioning the purpose of the relationship
When you are chronically stressed, there’s a higher chance you are likely to view even the best relationships in a negative light. It is also likely that we may not realize the role of stress in causing us to feel this way.
Spending more time with your phone
When under pressure, it is more difficult to step away from emails and texts and studies show people who reported excessive gadget use perceived more conflict in their relationships and depressive symptoms and lower satisfaction with the relationship. This means talking on your phone during a conversation with your partner is a sign of stress.
Your eyes are always wandering
Research shows that we are more likely to be attracted to other people when we feel relaxed. When we are anxious and stressed out, it takes our minds away from the moments we are spending with our partners and might even cause us to wish we were with some other person. This affects our relationship badly and causes us to pay less attention to the one we already have.
