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In your relationship, how do you and your partner cope daily and/or thrive through your chronic illness? What's your greatest fear for the future?

Some days it can be overwhelming, not just for the one with chronic illness, but for those supporting them. Some days we all need help and advice for how to keep going, not just individually, but as couples. What have you done or walked through that can help otghers #Marriage #ChronicIllness #Support #Love #Partners #couples #families #Family

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Is it possible for a depressed couple to stay together if they love eachother? Have you been through that?

#Depression #couples

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How does your Girlfriend/Boyfriend Husband or Wife etc help when you have a Panic attack or Anxiety attack?

Hello :) just out of curiosity for those in relationships are you comfortable with sharing your mental health struggles with them? Do you hide it? Or are they sweet and have done something to help you de-escalate from a severe panic/anxiety attack before, an ex or someone you are currently with that made you appreciate their help.🙂💕😇. I get really anxious in relationships 😐and so I prefer to stay single. But I find it so touching and sweet when you find someone to be 100% comfortable with and they help you cope sometimes. Married couples or people dating what has been your experience? #Anxiety #AnxietyAttacks #Dating #DatingWithAChronicIllness #help #couples #Love #Partners #husband #wife #Girlfriend #Boyfriend #LGBTQ

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#ToxicRelationships #cheating #Relationships #couples

So 2 and a half years ago I fell in love with the love of my life. Most beautiful and amazing woman I have ever met.
Men and women, have you ever asked yourself what happens to the woman you cheat on? Well let me tell you.
Before I found her, I was in the worst relationship of my life. My ex was constantly cheating on me but because I was lonely and I thought he loved me, I kept crawling back.
Kept doing it. Then I found out he was married. Worst day of my life. Or so I thought.
Cheating on someone, it breaks them down. Kills them mentally. They question their self worth, they question everything about themselves. They cry themselves to sleep wondering why they weren’t good enough. Were they meant to be loved? Will this happen in my other relationships?
And if you’ve been cheated on, and you’re in a new relationship, you keep seeing these invisible red flags that aren’t actually there. You become paranoid. Wondering when the ball is going to drop. “It was all a joke.” Or “I slept with so and so.” “I kissed whats her name.”
You keep waiting for that sentence.
2 1/2 years later I haven’t heard that sentence and I’m still paranoid. Cheating on someone is the worst thing you could possibly ever do to a person. It scars them mentally and makes them doubt themselves for the rest of their lives.
So please, if you’re unhappy, just LEAVE. Don’t break someone else because you’re not strong enough to leave them.

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Shame, Sex, and Chronic Illness #ChronicIllness #Sex #DisabilityAndSexuality

Shame, sex, and chronic illness? It’s not talked about in our culture. But, it is talked about in my office on a daily basis. When I work with a couple who experience chronic illness, the ill partner feels shame about the changes in their sexuality. Suffering from a may mean not only restricting sex but also experiencing a reduced desire for sex. We know there are a lot of negative messages around sex, pleasure, and eroticism. I remember as a child being told that sex was dirty. Well, that only made me more curious about it. Growing up with these messages and being disabled only added another layer to your shame. So how can we access sexual pleasure without shame? Once you are able to accept and build a relationship with your illness, this can increase your desire for sex. We know that a is not going to be cured, but when you are able to accept the illness and you are learning to cope with it as a couple, you can let go of the messages and conditioning that you have internalized for so many years. Learning to integrate the illness in your lives can make the sexual energy between the both of you stronger and more powerful! Intimacy requires vulnerability and when you are able to work through and not around the roadblocks of a , you both are able to discuss the sexual issues and you can explore a new sexual theme together. #Shame #Sex #sexandlovewhenyouaresick #ChronicIllness #ChronicPain #sextherapy #sextherapist #sexdoc #sexdoctor #couples #couplesgoals #Psychotherapy #psychotherapist

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Boundaries and Illness in the Partnership

When two people build a relationship, they must find a comfortable degree of intimacy, agreeing on how deeply to share feelings, how much time to spend together, and how to openly express affection. We observe a continuum of degrees of intimacy in relationships. Intimacy is not a static concept, so that a couple can travel through different stages of closets over time. When a couple has the optimal balance between intimacy and autonomy, their boundaries touch yet remain distinct. They are aware of each other’s needs and emotions. But what happens when an illness strikes? A couple’s previous success in resolving intimacy issues (and these include sexual intimacy issues) will determine how well they cope with an illness. During the crisis period of an illness, couples have the tendency to oscillate between the more extreme points of the intimacy range. On their attempt to support each other, the partners may begin to violate each other’s autonomy. But there is hope. There is a “new normal” that must emerge for the partnership to work. #boundaries #couples #couplesgoals #ChronicPain #ChronicIllness #Hope

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The Couples Relationship with #ChronicIllness

A couple’s #relationship can affect the development and management of a #ChronicIllness in a variety of ways. As a #psychotherapist who helps couples battle chronic illness, I find that we need more research on how marital status influences the quality of life of the chronically ill. When the both of you are at the optimal balance between intimacy and autonomy, your boundaries touch yet remain distinct. You both must be aware of each other’s needs and emotions. Why is this so important? Because this will drive and determine the sexual #intimacy in your relationship. The skills that shape the your relationship such as allocating roles, respecting #boundaries communicating effectively, and agreeing on relationship rules, can promote a healthy sex life. Part of my work as a psychotherapist includes helping couples with allocating sexual roles. Many #couples give all responsibility for initiating sex to one partner. This is not always the case with all couples, but it becomes a problem when one partner becomes ill. When confronted by a chronic illness, it is critical to examine your sexual #Communication and sexual rules. You may need to take a less performance oriented attitude towards sex and #explore new ways of pleasuring each other. Playfulness can ease tension and the both of you can focus on your attractive points rather than striving to match perfection. #sexandlovewhenyouaresick #firstbook #author #writer #sextherapy #Psychotherapy #couples #ChronicIllness #ChronicPain

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Trapped in the cage of #ChronicIllness

Trapped in your feelings with pain due to #ChronicIllness ? Feeling like you have lost yourself #sexually ? If managing or controlling your #Pain isn’t the answer, then what is? This is the most pressing question when introduced to the idea that pain management may not be the answer you need. What it comes down to is that the answer is up to you. It’s critical to look at what you #value . You have been fighting a war with your #illness and over time, it is consuming your life. The time you have spent searching for solutions to your pain has likely left you #exhausted , stressed out, and worst of all in more pain. You are probably so tired of the pain and wrapped up in getting rid of it in the first place. I find that individuals and couples who battle chronic illness are so involved in the fight, they forget why they started fighting to begin with. Yes, low sexual desire and arousal can be due to chronic illness, but so can the endless battle and conflict can bring to the partnership. At first glance, asking you why you want to get rid of your pain may seem like a ridiculous question. Isn’t it self- evident? I’m am suggesting you look at it from a different perspective. Take a moment to stop yourself and ask..If I had no pain due to my , what would I do with my life? What you would do with your life may be the VERY thing that has been overlooked in your battle with pain. What if you could learn to do things WITH your pain? If you are partnered, how can you both work together living a life with pain? How can you reclaim the sexual intimacy you miss? What if you could carry your pain with you while you live the life you went to live? Stay tuned as I address this in my first book, Sex & Love When You Are Sick. #Psychotherapy #sextherapy #ChronicIllness #ChronicPain #Fibromyalgia #Diabetes #HIV #CrohnsDisease #MultipleSclerosis #Lupus #AutoimmuneDisease #rhuematoidarthritis #doyou #couples #couplesgoals #individualgoals

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