Relationship Advice For Serious Relationship With Someone With Cptsd? Please?

[Beachbea]

Wondering if anyone has advice on how to cope with a romantic partner's cPTSD/depresssion/anxiety/panic when you struggle with mental health as well (but do not have PTSD). I'm in a very serious relationship and I care about my partner deeply but I feel so worn down now and I don't know how much more I can actually handle. I don't want to give up on them or rush their healing process, but I don't know if things will ever actually get better. Or if they will get better soon enough for me to be able to able to handle effectively. I don't want to give up on our relationship but I can't keep going on with how we are now without my wellbeing (and the wellbeing of my family) being seriously jeopardized due to my own anxiety and depression. I feel at a lost. I don't want to discuss all this with my partner because they'll start to spiral down even more, but I can't keep holding it in. What do I do?

 

[SeekingAfrica]

Wondering if anyone has advice on how to cope with a romantic partner's cPTSD/depresssion/anxiety/panic when you stru...

I wish I could advice on this. I am on the other side on that same line.
My partner feels the same way. So much so that I almost wondered if it was him for a moment. I read the post to him and he agreed. And he said to tell him if there's any useful advice:P. We are trying to work on things but it's so slow. We have talked about it but rarely. I know he shares the same thoughts as you and it does make me try to get better. However this time I'm really taking meds and doing therapy ...and however much I'd like to rush the process I can't. So we both have reached the conclusion that we are both going to give this all we have...but the time needed for me to get better may or may not be too long. At this point, it's a competition with time in a way.

I would recommend sharing the basic idea with your partner though, however hard it is. For me it was a bit of a wake up call. It made me see how little I was taking care of myself or being able to be a partner in any way whatsoever....So it was partially the push that got me to take finding therapy seriously.

It doesn't mean that the therapy itself will be fast, but I'm trying to do something about it. And getting help, which to be honest I've needed for a long long time. This is way too big of a thing to deal with without professional help or support system. At least in my opinion.

 

[Beachbea]

I wish I could advice on this. I am on the other side on that same line.
My partner feels the sa...

Thank you. It's somehow reassuring just to hear how other couples are going through these struggles too and aren't just giving up.
My partner has started the therapy process, and will hopefully see a psychiatrist soon (and me as well), and I do believe they have grown since we met but they also seem to be having worse flashbacks, perhaps because they now have to revisit all those traumatic memories by going to therapy and talking through it... I feel like things will get worse before they get better. And I want to stick it out with them. But it's hard when other people in my life are telling me how concerned they are, and that maybe things won't work out and I need to get out of the relationship. I defend my partner and our relationship, but then doubt seeps in and I'm finding myself going numb (probably as a coping mechanism - but then the numbness makes me more upset because I don't feel the strong connection to my partner that I had before)

 

[EveHarrington]

Can you give us some background info? It's hard to comment with no details. Thanks.

 

[Sweetpea76]

Usually my advice is to ask yourself this... if things never changed, would I be happy in this relationship?