Need Expert Advice?Our Gurus Can Help

Kanchan Rai |554 Answers |Ask -Follow

Relationships Expert, Mind Coach - Answered on Jun 24, 2024

Kanchan Rai has 10 years of experience in therapy, nurturing soft skills and leadership coaching. She is the founder of the Let Us Talk Foundation, which offers mindfulness workshops to help people stay emotionally and mentally healthy.
Rai has a degree in leadership development and customer centricity from Harvard Business School, Boston. She is an internationally certified coach from the International Coaching Federation, a global organisation in professional coaching.... more

Asked by Anonymous - Jun 24, 2024Hindi

I have caught my wife cheating twice in last 2-3 years and she is quite aloof in our relationship. Now in the recent 2 fights, she has asked me to leave the house. We have a teenage child who wants to come along with me. After I told her that I have found the apartment to shift,my wife is now putting pressure on me to stay by saying she is depressed and under mental pressure (I have taken her to psychologists earlier in 2021 and 2023 ,after she was found cheating) I am not able to make a decision and tell her that I want to now live apart from her for my mental peace. How should I handle the situation

Ans: I understand how complex and emotionally draining your situation is. Dealing with infidelity and a partner's erratic behavior, especially when there's a child involved, can be incredibly challenging. It's clear you're at a crossroads and seeking the best way to handle this delicate situation.

Firstly, it's important to acknowledge your feelings. You’ve been hurt by your wife's actions and the trust in your relationship has been significantly damaged. It’s also crucial to recognize the toll this has taken on your mental health and well-being. You've tried to support her by taking her to psychologists and addressing her depression, but her behavior has continued to strain the relationship.

Given that she has repeatedly asked you to leave and has shown a pattern of infidelity, it’s reasonable to want to consider living apart to find peace and stability for yourself and your teenage child. It's natural to feel conflicted, especially when she now expresses a desire for you to stay, citing depression and mental pressure. Her sudden shift in wanting you to remain might be influenced by her fear of change or losing the security your presence provides.

In this situation, it's essential to balance compassion for her mental health with the need to protect your own well-being and that of your child. You need to have an honest and firm conversation with her about your feelings and your decision. Explain that while you understand her struggles, the repeated infidelity and the emotional aloofness have deeply affected you, and you believe that living apart may be the best way to restore your peace of mind and provide a stable environment for your child.

Express that this decision isn’t taken lightly and that you’ve considered the impact on everyone involved. Emphasize that separating doesn't mean abandoning her but rather a step toward finding clarity and stability for yourself and your child. Suggest that she continues to seek professional help to address her depression and emotional issues.

This conversation should be compassionate but firm. Setting boundaries is vital for your mental health and future. It's also crucial to involve a professional, like a therapist or counselor, to navigate these discussions and the transition period, especially considering the emotional and psychological complexities involved.

Ultimately, you must prioritize your and your child's well-being. Living apart might provide the space needed for all of you to heal and figure out the next steps for your family.

RelationshipReply

You may like to see similar questions and answers below

Anu Krishna | Answer |Ask -Follow

Relationships Expert, Mind Coach - Answered on Jan 04, 2022

Question by Anonymous - Jan 04, 2022Hindi

I have been married for a little more than five years and I am living under tremendous stress and depression. We live in a joint family with my parents and an unmarried brother. I had told her all this before marriage. She loves me very much but her attitude towards my relatives has been a matter of concern right from the start. She does not want to keep a relationship with anybody apart from my immediate family. Slowly, she started having problems with my mother also; both have started having minor clashes at home. Many times, it is my mother’s mistake. The main problem is that she is very nagging and complains and gets irritated very frequently at the smallest instance. Frustrated, I planned on separating with her but the news came of her pregnancy and we were blessed with a baby girl. After the baby was born, my wife’s frustration and irritation has increased manifold because of her fear that my mother will give much more love to the baby then she can. So their clashes have increased. Now my wife has been putting a lot of pressure on me to look for a new house away from my parents, since she wants her own space. I already have a home loan on the existing home and a car loan. There is very less scope for me to purchase a new home and I don't want to leave my parents. She just doesn't understand my position and clashes happen between us. Looking at all this, I desperately want to separate from her but can't do so because of our daughter. I love her the most and can't live without her. So I just endure what is happening every day. This has resulted in me slipping into depression. It has affected my work in office as well. I am not performing well, I don't like to speak with any of my friends or relatives, I don't feel like doing anything. I’m living for the sake of my daughter, that's it. Even my parents are not in a position to understand me and my situation so I can't talk to them either. Can you help? Just don’t publish my name.

Ans:

It is unfortunate that you are in this situation.

Your wife is possibly not very inclined to be in a joint family set-up; the reasons maybe many. But isn’t it necessary for you as a husband and a father to look out for your family?

The misunderstandings caused between the two of you over the years because of being in a joint family set-up have never been addressed and much water has flowed under the bridge.

There is a slim chance that matters might get resolved if you get your mother and wife in the same room and iron it out, with you being a neutral person who does not take sides; this is the best option.

If this isn’t possible, kindly visit a family counsellor who can step in and show your family a way to live amicably or give you a perspective on how healthy it might be to live separately.

At the end of the day, you have responsibilities towards your wife and child too!

All the best and a Happy 2022.

Relationship1