Husbands Who Feel Like Nothing They Do Is Good Enough Usually Say These 11 Things

Contrary to what many women may believe, many men take a deep level of pride in being a good husband. When they feel like they’re failing their wives, most men actually feel hurt inside. It’s embarrassing. And husbands who feel like nothing they do is good enough will usually say some specific things to make sure their wife knows what's going on.

Leaving a guy to regularly question his ability to keep his wife happy can be incredibly harmful to his psyche. It can even turn your relationship into a toxic mess or push a man to cheat. If you're worried that he’s feeling down on himself, watch his mouth. If he says any of these phrases on a regular basis, he may be in need of a pep talk.

Husbands who feel like nothing they do is good enough usually say these 11 things

1. ‘I’m sorry’

husbands who feel like nothing they do is good enough usually say these things, ‘I’m sorry’ Goran13 from Getty Images via Canva

Let’s start off with the most obvious thing on the list: frequent, borderline incessant apologies. Some men apologize with ease, but when a man feels like he’s not worth your time, he will always apologize.

Frequent apologies, even when not necessary, are a warning that he may suffer from negative self-worth or trauma from childhood experiences. Regardless of the “whys,” it’s a sign he needs you to talk him up.

2. ‘I just can’t win with you’

husbands who feel like nothing they do is good enough usually say these things, ‘I just can’t win with you’ Prostock-studio via Canva

If nothing else, men tend to be remarkably straightforward when they finally actually speak up about their feelings. Most men who feel like they’re in a corner will openly tell you that they feel like they “just can’t win.”

This is often a sign that your husband might feel like it’s impossible to actually get your approval or make whatever situation is at hand any better. This is about as glaring a sign as you can get from a guy. He’s basically begging you to approve of something, anything he does.

3. ‘Can we please spend time together tonight?’

husbands who feel like nothing they do is good enough usually say these things, ‘Can we please spend time together tonight?’ GaudiLab via Canva

Believe it or not, a lot of men link physical intimacy with their wives’ approval. If you’re not getting physical on a regular basis, that’s a type of rejection that can really mess with a man’s mind. A lack of physical affection might have nothing to do with him, but that doesn’t make it hurt any less. Many men don’t see this as merely a sign of you not being attracted to them. They see it as a sign that they’ve failed as a spouse.

Men tend to seek validation through physical intimacy. If he’s been begging and you’ve been rejecting him almost all the time, it could be a sign that he feels unwanted, unloved, and unworthy.

4. ‘I don’t feel like it’

husbands who feel like nothing they do is good enough usually say these things, ‘I don’t feel like it’ Monkey Business Images via Canva

While some men will start to get super-clingy, other men tend to shut down when they feel like they’re not doing anything right. Some men freeze up when they feel like they can’t do anything right.

With guys like these, even if you try to get affectionate with them, they’ll decline. It’s a symptom of far deeper issues than we want to admit.

5. ‘Even when I gave you [x], you still complain’

husbands who feel like nothing they do is good enough usually say these things, ‘Even when I gave you [x], you still complain’ dimaberlinphotos via Canva

Many men struggle to understand that women often desire both emotional security and financial stability. Or, rather, they often feel like the string of complaints they have never ends, and it starts to eat at them.

Ladies, take men seriously when they say things like this. It’s a sign that they aren’t getting praised enough and that they feel burnt out from all the complaints.

6. ‘She’s never satisfied’

husbands who feel like nothing they do is good enough usually say these things, ‘She’s never satisfied’ Prostock-studio via Canva

Be very careful if you overhear your partner say this about you to his friends, parents, or coworkers. While this might be a bit of “locker room” talk to commiserate with a guy who’s having a rough time, it’s often how he really feels.

If he’s saying this on a regular basis to others, it’s likely because he’s afraid of telling you to your face.

7. ‘I wish that you looked at me like that’

husbands who feel like nothing they do is good enough usually say these things, ‘I wish that you looked at me like that’ Syda Productions via Canva

Men who feel unattractive are often the same ones who feel like they are just not worthy. It’s a matter of confirmation bias in most cases, bias that has been pushed by the way they see themselves treated.

When a man notices another man getting attention, it’s brutal. It cuts them in a way that is hard to put into words. The most you might hear is a salty statement like this.

8. ‘If I did that, would it even matter?’

husbands who feel like nothing they do is good enough usually say these things, ‘If I did that, would it even matter?’ Rachata Teyparsit via Canva

Have you ever felt totally hopeless when it comes to a person’s behavior? As someone who’s experienced that in large quantities, there’s a certain point where you stop doing things because you no longer feel like anything you do matters.

If you asked your husband to do something and he asks if it’d even make a difference, that’s a serious statement. He likely feels like a total failure, as if he’s past the point of being able to make a difference.

9. ‘Maybe we shouldn’t have gotten married’

husbands who feel like nothing they do is good enough usually say these things, ‘Maybe we shouldn’t have gotten married’ RyanKing999 via Canva

Yes, it’s true. Many men regret their marriages when they feel it’s a failure, and that includes the failure they blame themselves for. If you start hearing your husband openly muse about the possibility of leaving, you should be very worried.

This often signals that your window for improving your relationship is coming to a close. That’s not a good thing.

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10. ‘I stopped complaining because it gets turned around on me’

husbands who feel like nothing they do is good enough usually say these things, ‘I stopped complaining because it gets turned around on me’ creatoroflove via Canva

There are tons of articles warning about women being silent as a sign that they’re about to be Walkaway Wives. The same can be said about husbands. If he stopped complaining or opening up to you, it’s not always a good thing.

If he stopped complaining, it’s a sign that he sees things as futile. He’s worried that you may view him as weak or otherwise useless.

11. ‘What more do you want from me?’

husbands who feel like nothing they do is good enough usually say these things, ‘What more do you want from me?’ vkstudio via Canva

Guys who are fed up and at the end of their ropes will often end up just saying what they think out loud. If he is saying you’re never satisfied and always dealing with more complaints, he probably genuinely believes it.

It’s up to you to decide whether or not this relationship is going to be worth keeping.

Ossiana Tepfenhart is a writer whose work has been featured in Yahoo, BRIDES, Your Daily Dish, Newtheory Magazine, and others.