Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:In all of the fighting and apologizing, did you guys actually discuss the source of your anger and resentment in a substantive way, or did the focus shift entirely to how you blew up at him?
No, he gets defensive for the things I point out that I am angry and resentful about. Then it shifts to me screwing up.
The first thing you need to realize is that while you might have anger and resentment towards him for a laundry list of reasons, he very likely feels anger and resentment towards you for a laundry list of reasons. It takes two to sustain a healthy marriage. Communication is key since nobody is a mind reader. But when you dish it out, you need to be prepared to take his criticism as well. That's why it's important to speak nicely and with love, right?
It really is as simple as treating others the way you want to be treated.
Hopefully your therapist will explain this to you rather than blame everything on your spouse. It's never that simple. I'm sure you annoy your spouse, too.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:In all of the fighting and apologizing, did you guys actually discuss the source of your anger and resentment in a substantive way, or did the focus shift entirely to how you blew up at him?
No, he gets defensive for the things I point out that I am angry and resentful about. Then it shifts to me screwing up.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:In all of the fighting and apologizing, did you guys actually discuss the source of your anger and resentment in a substantive way, or did the focus shift entirely to how you blew up at him?
No, he gets defensive for the things I point out that I am angry and resentful about. Then it shifts to me screwing up.
Ah, so he's using how you communicate your anger as a weapon against you to deflect any criticism of himself. Which is turn probably makes you anxious about raising things you're angry about, so instead of addressing them in the moment, you bottle it up until you can't tolerate it anymore and you blow up.
Yes, you have to own your part that bottling and exploding isn't a healthy way to communicate, but you shouldn't shoulder all of the blame for the dynamic. He has to see his part and be willing to work on that as well before you can make any meaningful progress on your marriage. Individual counseling is a good place to start working on this for yourself, and once you have your feet under you there, marriage counseling would be a good idea as well.
Also, the reason you're continuing to feel angry and resentful is that none of the stuff that you feel angry/resentful about is even being acknowledged, let alone validated or addressed, so you're not getting any resolution to those issues. That's not something you should beat yourself up about, it doesn't mean the problem is with you.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:In all of the fighting and apologizing, did you guys actually discuss the source of your anger and resentment in a substantive way, or did the focus shift entirely to how you blew up at him?
No, he gets defensive for the things I point out that I am angry and resentful about. Then it shifts to me screwing up.
Ah, so he's using how you communicate your anger as a weapon against you to deflect any criticism of himself. Which is turn probably makes you anxious about raising things you're angry about, so instead of addressing them in the moment, you bottle it up until you can't tolerate it anymore and you blow up.
Yes, you have to own your part that bottling and exploding isn't a healthy way to communicate, but you shouldn't shoulder all of the blame for the dynamic. He has to see his part and be willing to work on that as well before you can make any meaningful progress on your marriage. Individual counseling is a good place to start working on this for yourself, and once you have your feet under you there, marriage counseling would be a good idea as well.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:In all of the fighting and apologizing, did you guys actually discuss the source of your anger and resentment in a substantive way, or did the focus shift entirely to how you blew up at him?
No, he gets defensive for the things I point out that I am angry and resentful about. Then it shifts to me screwing up.
Anonymous wrote:In all of the fighting and apologizing, did you guys actually discuss the source of your anger and resentment in a substantive way, or did the focus shift entirely to how you blew up at him?