How does your anxiety affect your relationships?

Hi all! I'm new here but I thought I'd dive right in.

I joined because I have been suffering with anxiety for a long time. It seems to have gotten worse in the last 5 or so years. Anyways, I'm newly married and I am hoping to get some advice from others how they make sure their anxiety is not jeopardising their relationships.

My guy and I have very different temperments--- he is on the mellow end of the spectrum. My anxiety frightens him though. My therapist actually had him come to a session, which I think helped. But still, I know that I sometimes teeter in a mental frame of mind that he just cannot understand.

Those of you who have experience with this, what do you ask of your partners? How do they cope with the anxiety issue?
Thanks all!

Fortunately - my other 'arf is a district nurse so she already had an understanding of the illness.

HOWEVER, this didn't prevent her from thinking that my anxiety was something to do with her... or our relationship.

I've managed to convince her otherwise and, now that i'm getting better things aren't so tricky.

Your partner absolutely HAS to understand the condition in order to accept it. Do whatever it takes to ram it home, so to speak.
Good books are helpful as they are worded in a way which much better explains the situation than perhaps you can.

Unfortunately I didn't have anxiety when I married my husband but if I did have we wouldn't be married now- he doesn't understand what we have to go through and really doesn't want to- he thinks I'm half way to the looney bin!! sorry my answer couldnt be a positive one

its affected the people closest to me. Especially my friends and family. You see i never used to worry so much and now that i do its frustrating for them and for me! I feel like they dont really understand me or why i feel how i do.

My ex girlfriend was very supportive. Forced me to go to town- something I used to avoid- and listened to me when i was at my lowest but then she got annoyed with me (not the reason we split) so i eventually started to worry about how it was taking its toll.

but yeah in answer to your question worrying constantly can affect relationships unless they are understanding and sympathetic

> he thinks I'm half way to the looney bin!!

In all honestly - so would I have done before I developed A/D myself!

"Mental illness" was not in my dictionary. It didn't even exist in my world.
As far as I was concerned; anxiety / depression / ocd and the like was purely for complete loons with serious brain dysfunction(s).
For wussies, the weak, the stupid and certified, straight-jacket wearing nut jobs who bang their heads on walls and dribble from the corners of their dysfunctional mouths...

But ALAS... my main Christmas present for Christmas 2011 was A/D. Thanks for that, father Christmas.
(What happened to the traditional pair of socks and a hand-knitted jumper, huh?)

Although I've had to endure some seriously scary shit for the past 7, anxious months, I am fortunate that I wasn't completely crippled with it.
Having experienced all the freaky, mental and physical hideousness that's been thrown at me - I can now safely say that I am more than accutely aware of the ill-workings of the mind.

I can FULLY empathize with this one..I have a 7th grade education, my wife went to school until she was 29. I attack everything in life straight forward and do not let up until its over. She fiddle farts around the outer edges of everything with the hope of sneaking up behind it..Shes a Judge. LOL!...That is complete opposites, but I have ALL the practical knowledge and she has ALL the learned law knowledge..if I should ever need it. NOT!...Opposites attract! (learned that in 7th grade science before I paddled the teacher with her own paddle..seriously)

Enduronman.