How Can I Work with My Spouse to Handle Stress and Prevent Them from Relapsing?

This world has a variety of substances that people can become addicted to. Your spouse may have recently gone through rehab, but that doesn’t mean that he or she is freed from addiction since stressful situations can cause people to relapse. If you want to help your spouse to handle stress and avoid relapsing, then make sure that you apply these points.

Always Show Love

Remember that you as a spouse have a role to play that others can’t fill during this difficult situation. While other family members can provide love and support, you have a special relationship with your spouse that rises above all others. Because of this, you can always show love towards your spouse and provide him or her reassurance.

Make sure that your spouse understands that you will always be there to support him or her. Because of this, all of the other points mentioned in this article stem from the concept of showing love and support to your spouse. No matter what happens, show your spouse that you will always love him or her and be there during the difficult times.

Establish a Plan

Before your spouse becomes overburdened with stress, you should make sure that you create a plan with each other. This should include how your spouse will contact you when faced with a potential relapse and how to cope with those tempting times. This way, you will both know what you need to do during different situations.

If you want to create a proper plan, then you should both sit down and create some plans in detail. Try your best to talk about potential situations and what you will do whenever they come up. You should also ensure that your spouse always has a way to contact you so that he or she can receive your help whenever its necessary.

Listen and Communicate

After you have both established some plans and how you will help your spouse, then you need to make sure that you listen and properly communicate. When a person goes through addiction recovery, they can feel alone and like no one cares. Because of this, you need to ensure that your spouse can talk to you and that you’ll listen.

Go out of your way to see how your spouse feels and to check in with him or her. If a stressful situation arises, make sure that you listen to your spouse to find out how he or she feels. This way, you can give your spouse a place to vent so that he or she doesn’t relapse to seek solace during the difficult moments.

Provide a Safe Haven

When your spouse interacts with you, you should always strive to provide a safe haven for him or her. Because of this, you should strive to make your spouse feel comfortable and while showing that he or she can place some trust in you. This way, if he or she feels tempted to relapse, you can be there to provide a safe space.

Your spouse should feel safe whenever you are around, which will allow him or her to bring up issues, stresses and problems. Make sure that you adjust yourself so you can provide such an environment for your spouse. After all, he or she needs the support during this difficult situation.

Show Empathy and Understanding

Remember that your spouse will struggle when recovering from addiction. Because of this, you should always seek to show empathy and understanding towards your spouse. For example, if your spouse explains that he or she feels tempted to relapse, then you need to empathize, show your support and help prevent it.

If your spouse does relapse, make sure that you still show him or her empathy and understanding. If your spouse feels like you will judge him or her for relapsing, then he or she won’t mention it to you. This will only cause more struggles during the recovery process, so always remain kind and empathetic so you can provide assistance.

Remember that your spouse will face struggles when it comes to stress and relapsing. Because of this, you should do everything in your power to provide support without passing judgment or upsetting them. As you act in love and strive to provide for your spouse, you can become a key part in preventing relapses while managing stress. Call us today at 772-266-5320.

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