TheRedArchive

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Just looking for support

February 25, 2023
17 upvotes

Hello Gentlemen, this is my first time writing in anything like this for outside support. I'm 32 and have always kept things to myself and never expressed much of my emotions. I've been married now for 9 years and have an amazing 9-year-old son. some years ago, my wife and I agreed that keeping things to ourselves was causing damage to our relationship, so we should be more verbal about things that we felt, no matter the size of the issue. Over the years I've come to an understanding that my wife along with everyone else I have been close to does not honestly care about how I feel when we argue or begin to have disagreements. she cannot take criticism well at all. I have my flaws when it comes to arguing and I have had long thoughts about how I could handle things differently or maybe be a little more patient but even when I speak calmly she yells at me the moment she is mad. If I tell her to stop yelling and to speak to me the same way she exaggerates what I'm saying and makes it out to be that I'm perfect and she is just this huge fuck up. I've tried to keep things in but she will get mad if she finds out and I'm not so great with poker faces. if i yell back or match her energy then she will take it a notch higher but I don't have it in me to get that way. i dislike confrontation and I hate yelling. when we discuss our disagreements she bounces around from so many different things i can't keep up with what's the exact problem. if i try to insert something so i won't forget she will get mad at me for cutting her off, which is understandable but i find it hard to keep up with what she is exactly mad at. one problem is solved but here comes something else. i know that it's a common joke that women will never admit they are wrong and happy wife happy life but i just want to be able to speak and be understood which I feel like she never tries. Even when my words click on her, she will not allow herself to admit fault or even just acknowledge that maybe it wasn't how she initially took things. I love my wife but i am starting to feel like she is not someone i can be open and honest with. It hurts to write this because when she is in a good mood she is amazing in all ways but when she gets upset it's like there is an entirely different woman in front of me. My wife has had a rough life, no father, no family, her mother treated him like garbage. i love this woman but I am tired of not having my emotions validated. i want to be loved the same way that I am loved.

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Post Information
Title Just looking for support
Author 1MoonRising1
Upvotes 17
Comments 4
Date February 25, 2023 9:05 AM UTC (9 months ago)
Subreddit /r/MenSupportMen
Archive Link https://theredarchive.com/r/MenSupportMen/just-looking-for-support.1217883
https://theredarchive.com/post/1217883
Original Link https://old.reddit.com/r/mensupportmen/comments/11bgl1k/just_looking_for_support/
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Comments

[–]a-man-from-earth 5 points6 points  (0 children) | Copy Link

Many men will recognize what you are going thru. You can try couples therapy, but don't expect too much. Too many women have not learnt how to regulate their feelings and how to take criticism like an adult. So it seems that indeed you cannot be open and honest with her, lest she become a raging storm.

So be stoic and let the storm rage. Maybe when she's calm again you can have a rational conversation about the problem and how best to solve it.

when we discuss our disagreements she bounces around from so many different things i can't keep up with what's the exact problem.

The problem is that she's upset. The exact content of that is basically irrelevant. She wants validation for her feelings. Which is why interjection is a grave mistake.

she will not allow herself to admit fault or even just acknowledge that maybe it wasn't how she initially took things

Because that invalidates her feelings, which is enraging.

I love my wife but i am starting to feel like she is not someone i can be open and honest with.

Many men have the same experience and have decided to only vent to their male friends.

You can try couples therapy, if she's open to work on herself. But she has a difficult past, so that may be a long road.

[–]Input_output_error 1 point2 points  (0 children) | Copy Link

It is a good thing to express your feelings and emotions to your significant other. The problem most often is just that most people (not just women) aren't able to express them in a constructive way. There is a difference between acknowledging your feelings and emotions and understanding where they come from and just acting on your emotions.

Too often people think that simply stating what they feel somehow excuses their behaviour. Your SO telling you that they behaved the way they did because of some emotion isn't an explanation by any means. Only if they can explain why they feel the way that they do, in a normal way without any shouting or other theatrics, can certain emotional outbursts be excused.

Only ever discuss things when she is calm, the moment she starts to escalate you disengage and tell her that you'll be there when she's calm and ready to talk again. Don't let her make a mess of it by trying to include all her little pet peevee's the moment that she feels cornered. Just get back to the issue, when she starts to escalate again you disengage again. Simply do not allow her to escalate, as escalation just isn't helpful. It only ends in both parties throwing shit at each other.

If I tell her to stop yelling and to speak to me the same way she exaggerates what I'm saying and makes it out to be that I'm perfect and she is just this huge fuck up. I've tried to keep things in but she will get mad if she finds out and I'm not so great with poker faces.

Let her exaggerate, then acknowledge that she did fuck up here, but that you're far from perfect by any means. Don't let her provoke you into escalation, acknowledge and work on your own shortcomings. And tell her how you're working on those problems that you have, that it isn't shameful to do so in any way. Then tell her that you hope that she'll work on this problem she just acknowledged that she had and that maybe it would be best to continue this conversation when the both of you (always include yourself) aren't so emotional.

Look, i know that this isn't really a nice thing to do, but, if what you say is true and she never acknowledges her own faults then that is the only place to start having that conversation. I don't like confrontations either, but, I won't let myself be used as a doormat. Sometimes confrontations are needed, and when they are it is best that you know what exactly you want to say and talk about.

Never EVER weaponize emotions, this is a sure one way ticket of fucking up any form relationship. Emotions are there to help us point towards problematic parts of ourselves. Just acting out each and every emotion you have isn't going to change anything you feel and only conditions someone to become less empathic to the feelings of others. The idea is to try and understand why we feel the way that we do.

[–]michaelpaoli 1 point2 points  (0 children) | Copy Link

Sounds like y'all need work on your communication ... notably how that communication is being done. It can probably be much improved ... at least if you're both willing to work on it and put in the effort. Should be working to build the partnership, and understand and support each other ... not tear each other down. And, perhaps too, on your wife's side, bit 'o anger management might be in order too - especially if her anger is problematic for you.

So ... I'd probably suggest starting with those points/areas, see what y'all can do with that - as it seem there's lots of room for improvement there - and would likely make things much better. That doesn't necessarily mean it fixes everything in your marriage ... but perhaps make it all work quite dang well enough ... or better than that. And that's certainly something, eh?

And ... well, if you / you both well try that, and still hit major roadblocks on that ... then maybe then give us an update ... but in the meantime, sounds like there's a whole lot that could be improved just between you and your wife ... with some work and effort on it ... and maybe 'bit 'o outside resources. E.g. therapy, or some studying and practicing of non-violent communication (yeah, it's a thing - don't just take the words literally), anger management (notably for your wife - probably wouldn't hurt you to learn it well too), ... there's also a lot of psychology stuff - what works, and doesn't work in relationships ... builds them up rather than tears them down ... sounds like both 'o you could well learn from that - work on practicing more what builds up relationship, and try to do none or way less of what tears relationships down.

Good luck! ... well, not just luck - put in the relevant work (some of it hard work) too.

[–]whosdirty 0 points1 point  (0 children) | Copy Link

You are not alone man I’ve been dating this girl for the past 4 years, I’m 26, she had a bad home life and it’s emotionally taxing on me, easy to anger, etc etc. I’ll give you a nice reply on my thoughts after work but just know you aren’t alone and I feel for ya!

You can kill a man, but you can't kill an idea.

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