Natalia – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual person
How would you feel if your spouse got an incredible new career that resulted in you and your marriage being outshone?
This 37-year-old woman has a 40-year-old husband who has recently experienced great success in his career. While it’s all well and good, it’s been hard for her to watch their lives change overnight because of it.
She’s been with her husband for close to 15 years, and his job has taken over. It’s a glitzy yet demanding line of work; her husband works closely with celebrities, travels a ton, and works late into the evenings.
While her husband has always been loyal to her, it’s tough that she hardly sees him. She goes months without spending time with him, as his work trips require him to be abroad for considerable stretches of time.
“We have short phone calls once a day, but emotionally and intellectually our connection has greatly diminished. He doesn’t really know what I do with my days, or have time or energy to engage with me on a deeper level,” she explained.
“He posts photos of himself with his coworkers, who, due to his industry, are much younger, beautiful women. I…hate it. He seems so happy, and I feel like I can’t compete with this new, exciting period of his life.”
“Celebrities are just much more exciting than ‘a wife at home.’ I feel like he’s not interested in me anymore. And I can’t blame him, I guess celebrities are more exciting than normal people.”
It’s even more sad to her that all of their loved ones are besotted with what her husband does for a living, and it’s all they can talk about.
Their family and friends ask her nonstop about her husband’s career, and she has nothing to tell them except that he adores it. Honestly, she’s not privy to the details in the least, and when she addresses this with him, he accuses her of being unsupportive.
Natalia – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual person
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
She’s left feeling lonely and insane because she can’t understand why she is unable to simply be excited that her husband is living his dream.
“I feel like this weird outsider and villain in my own life, because I can’t be happy for him. I don’t know how to cope or what to do to feel normal,” she continued.
“This feels like an insane way to be married. I miss the days when we would just eat dinner together after work and sit on the couch and talk, but those are long gone. I feel like I’ve lost him.”
“Before you ask, yes, I try hard to keep myself busy. I have a demanding job, I work full time and care for our two dogs, see friends and family. But this is not how I pictured married life.”
She’s left wondering how she can come to terms with no longer feeling like her husband’s wife.
I think this is about her being lonely and feeling abandoned more than anything else. Her husband used to be constant in her everyday life, and now he’s largely absent.
Yes, she does have her own insecurities to work through, I’m not dismissing that, but it’s not the overarching theme. She should sit down with her husband and say that she wants to be supportive, but this is not working for her at the moment, so they need to come up with a game plan.
Maybe that’s meaningful datenights when he’s home. Maybe that’s her trying to find a remote position so she can travel with him on occasion.
Her husband has largely left her behind and prioritized his career, and a solution is in order, as he’s not quite listening to what is making her twisted.
What advice do you have for her?
You can read the original post below.
Pictured above is a screenshot of the original post for you to read