Being married and married life doesn’t make you immune to loneliness. You still feel the need for closeness and if you’re not getting what you need, you can start to feel alone and disconnected.

Loneliness mainly happens when a couple gets caught up in everyday life and starts paying less and less attention to each other. With time, they stop feeling like they’re connected and part of something bigger than themselves and start feeling like separate entities.

The way that loneliness impacts your marriage is by making you hypersensitive to signs of rejection from your partner. It distorts how you see your partner and makes you perceive them as less caring or less committed. This makes you angry and defensive which pushes your spouse farther away.

Dealing with Loneliness in Married Life

Figure out why you’re feeling lonely

Loneliness does not always indicate that you’re in a bad marriage. Sometimes loneliness stems from internal issues that need to be addressed.

So ask yourself whether your feelings are the result of something that is happening in your marriage? Is your spouse really isolating you or are you just feeling isolated?

Share your frustrations

If you feel like you have lost your close connection to your spouse, it’s is important to share your frustration with them. However, do not in any way blame your spouse during your conversation by telling them that they’re not paying attention to you or something similar. Just express in a positive tone that you’re feeling lonely.

Reconnect

The best way to reconnect with your spouse is by creating shared experiences. So start doing fun activities for couples together like watching TV, taking walks around the block and cooking. Suggest activities that require little effort to minimize objection from your spouse.

Work on your relationships with your friends

If you expect your spouse to stimulate you intellectually and be your best friend, confidant, lover and partner, you’re going to be disappointed. There’s nothing wrong with having friends who fill some of these roles. It can also take away the feeling of loneliness and make married life so much happier.