Feeling content within your romantic relationship is a goal most of us strive for when looking for a partner. It is possible to become so wrapped up in your relationships that you end up neglecting other important aspects of yourselves. This in turn can make you feel disconnected from your own values.
In this article, we will be discussing how to maintain a strong sense of self within your romantic relationships. Some questions to ask yourself right now might be: "Is it difficult to spend time alone? When my partner isn’t around, how do I spend my day?”
If one of your first reactions was feeling anxious and trying to make plans with friends to limit the amount of time you spend alone, I encourage you to keep reading.
According to an article from the New York Times: “Choosing to spend time doing things by yourself can have mental, emotional and social benefits, but the key to reaping those positive rewards comes from choosing to spend time alone.” (Higgs, 2019) If you’re finding it difficult to think of solo activities or even how to be okay with being alone, this might be a sign to take some time to lean more into that discomfort.
“Being alone with your thoughts, and giving yourself the space and unstructured time to let your mind wander without social distractions, can also sometimes feel intimidating” - Angela Grice, Speech / Language Pathologist and Researcher.
The benefit of giving yourself the space and unplanned time to be alone though with your thoughts can be beneficial. Some prompts to help in this process include:
“ What Do I Feel Like I Am Missing In My Life?”
“What New Activities Am I Interested In Or Willing To Try?”
“ Is There Something I No Longer Do That I Would Like To Do Again?”
There are no right or wrong answers and it’s okay to not be sure. You likely won't be certain of most if not all of your responses. The purpose of this exercise is to help establish a stronger alignment with yourself while creating a space specifically for you to discover more of who you are as a whole.
With all that said, prioritizing yourself individually can allow you to show up in your relationship more authentically. Don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone and go at your own pace.
If you still find yourself struggling, that may be a sign to enlist the help of a mental health professional. Our caring Scheduling Coordinator can help you find out if a Relationship Group, support group, or individual counseling with a Relationship Counselor would be the best fit for you.
Click here to schedule a free 20-minute phone consultation to get started!
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Other Therapy Services Available at Catalyss Counseling:
Here at Catalyss Counseling, we want to meet all of your counseling needs in the Denver area. Our supportive therapists provide depression counseling, therapy for caregiver stress, grief and loss therapy, stress management counseling and more. We also have specialists in trauma and PTSD, women's issues, pregnancy and postpartum depression or anxiety, pregnancy loss and miscarriage, and birth trauma. For therapists, we can also provide clinical supervision! We look forward to connecting with you to help support your journey today.
Author Biography
Marie Clyne is a licensed social worker and provider at Catalyss Counseling. Her focus centers around adults struggling with Depression, Anxiety, and ADHD. Marie's passion lies in getting to know you, who you want to be, and working together to help translate those goals into reality. Follow Catalyss Counseling on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.