How Stress and Anxiety Impact Relationships (and What to Do About It)

Stress and anxiety aren’t just about your job or responsibilities, they spill into every part of your life: your health, sleep, and especially your relationships.

Not just the romantic ones. Your friendships, how you talk to and relate to your kids, coworkers, and coworkers too.

Everyone feels it.

Stress builds walls, creates tension, and resentment, and adds distance you might not notice until it feels overwhelming.

Let's stop it before it gets that far.

Meet Sarah: She’s Kind of Like You

Sarah isn't a real person. She's a combination of several high-achieving women I've worked with, all of whom came to me dealing with the same issues.

Sarah’s a busy mom, the go-to person for everyone in her house, at her church, and at home. She loves what she does; she's brilliant and caring, and seemingly perfect on the outside but barely holding it together inside.

After weeks of saying yes to extra responsibilities at work, agreeing to chair a new committee, a sick kid at home, and one appointment after the next, Sarah is exhausted and wondering why she is always the one doing everything for everyone else.

Last week, Sarah snapped at a coworker and then replayed it over and over in her head despite multiple apologies until she wasn't only embarrassed but felt shameful.

At home, she's snapping at her kids and husband.

When did everything get so busy and intense?

How Stress Creeps Into Relationships

Stress isn’t just about to-do lists, it’s the stories you tell yourself.

Thoughts like "I’m not good enough," "If I don’t do it perfectly, people will think I don't know what I'm doing," and "Asking for help means I’m stupid/incapable" become your truth and shape how you feel and act.

These thoughts don’t just stay in your mind, they show up in your actions.

You might find yourself snapping at your husband or coworker out of frustration, feeling resentful when your hard work goes unnoticed, zoning out or pretending to listen instead of being present with your family or avoiding tough conversations because you’re too drained to deal with them.

You also might think you’re hiding it, but your stress affects everyone around you.

The Quick Fixes That Keep You Stuck

Overworking, avoiding people, and numbing with food, drinks, or scrolling feel like the quickest and easiest solutions, and they make you feel better, but these Band-Aid fixes reinforce the cycle; overworking ties your worth to productivity, social media makes you anxious from negative news cycles and comparing yourself to influencers, and avoiding people and situations only makes disconnect and overthinking worse.

Why Coaching Is a Game-Changer

Remember Sarah? Each woman who makes up "Sarah" hit her breaking point and decided if something didn't change, everything that was important to her was going to fall apart.

Through coaching, Sarah learned to:

• Pause, calm her mind and body, and respond instead of reacting out of stress and frustration.
• Set boundaries that protect her time and energy.
• Communicate her needs, wants, and boundaries clearly.
• Let go of perfectionism so she could be relaxed and present with her family and friends.

When you learn to manage stress instead of allowing overwhelm and anxiety to dictate your thoughts and actions, you feel more connected and confident, you have the time and energy to be present and attentive, and you re-connect, not just with family and friends, but with yourself

What About You?

If you see yourself in Sarah’s story, overworking, running on empty, and wondering how to get back on track without giving up on your goals or your family, it's time to ask for help.

You don't have to choose between your professional goals and the people and life you're working so hard to support.

I coach ambitious women so they can learn to stop overthinking, and manage their time and energy so they feel less stress and anxiety. They learn to trust themselves, feel confident, and find success at work and presence at home.

You can schedule time to talk with me at https://www.megandevito.com/workwithme

What's Coming Up This Week

MONDAY

Read this week’s blog post to learn more about how stress and anxiety impact relationships and what you can do about it.

TUESDAY

It’s Podcast Day! Every Tuesday morning at 5:00 am EST a new episode drops wherever you catch your podcasts: from Apple to Spotify to YouTube and Amazon.

In this week's episode of More Than Anxiety, you'll hear more about how stress and anxiety impact your relationships.

While you’re there, be sure to subscribe and leave a review to help other people find this resource as well. Every bump helps.

WEDNESDAY

Have you been wanting to say yes to coaching but you’re not ready or able to commit to 1:1 right now? I’ve got something BRAND NEW for you! Join Anxious Overthinkers Anonymous, my new group where you’ll get weekly lessons, group coaching, a private chat and community, and all kinds of inspiration and fun. For a limited time, you can join for just $50 a month (3-month minimum requirement).

This is the best of learning, coaching, community and fun and I’m so proud and excited to FINALLY be able to offer it to you.

The forum is open now and our first class is February 10th.

THURSDAY

Looking for more ways to network? Join me on LinkedIn!

FRIDAY

Having a quiet Friday night this week? If you haven’t watched it yet (and you’re not horrified by F-bombs, you have to catch Ted Lasso. If that’s not your speed, download “The Let Them Theory” by Mel Robbins. Let me know what you think of either or both!

SATURDAY

Are you more of a video fan than blogs and podcasts? I get it and I’ve got you covered. You can catch the video version of this week’s podcast on You Tube at 2:00 pm EDT Saturday.