If Your Wife Has These 11 Habits, She's Emotionally Exhausted & Needs Your Help
RollingCamera / Shutterstock It can be hard to admit when we need help. Women often feel the need to shoulder the weight of their relationship and household. It’s well documented that the majority of women in the United States do more household chores and tasks than their male counterparts. Most wives feel pressured to keep a perfectly clean house, work, care for their children, and maintain their marriages. It can take an emotional toll on them.
When a woman is emotionally exhausted and needs your help, she will show it in her habits. Things that once brought her joy now feel too exhausting to do. Things that used to be a joke between you now feel insulting. Life is made complicated by the roles we have to fulfill. As her stress mounts, her behavior will change. She may become short-tempered or often irritable. These are all signs that she is in over her head, and you should step in to offer help.
If your wife has these 11 habits, she's emotionally exhausted & needs your help
1. She’s tired even after a full night’s rest
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We’ve all woken up and still felt tired. Whether it was from waking up often in the middle of the night or not getting enough sleep the night before, we are familiar with the feeling. When a wife becomes emotionally exhausted, her sleeping habits will change. No matter how long she is in bed, when she wakes up, it feels like she never slept. It’s likely because she is feeling too overwhelmed.
If your wife is emotionally exhausted and her sleep habits are struggling, it could be your fault in more ways than one. A study found that women who shared a bed with their male companion got worse sleep. Meanwhile, men slept much better in bed with their wives. If you want your emotionally exhausted wife to get restful sleep, maybe it’s time for a night on the couch.
2. She’s easily irritated
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When things get stressful, I find myself easily on edge. Everything will feel difficult for me to process. When someone is emotionally exhausted, they have less patience than they normally would. According to the Mayo Clinic Health System, emotional exhaustion can bring about changes in habits. A once easy-going wife may find everything irritable because she is struggling.
Emotional exhaustion builds up slowly over time. When you slowly begin to notice your wife is feeling more irritable, offering help would be appreciated.
3. She withdraws emotionally
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It’s hard to put emotional energy into things when you do not have it. If someone has been drained and forced into emotional exhaustion, they will not have the same capacity to respond to and provide emotional support. Let’s say your wife has been hurt by something you’ve done. She will begin to withdraw from you emotionally as a defense mechanism. She will also be so drained that she will not have much to offer you.
If she feels you are the reason why she is emotionally drained, she will disconnect from you to protect herself. She may feel invalidated by your relationship. This situation will leave a wife no choice but to keep her feelings to herself, which may erode the relationship. She needs help if she is withdrawing from you.
4. She’s stopped asking for help
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Have you heard of the Walkaway Wife Syndrome? It’s the idea that wives slowly begin to lose connection to their husbands after they feel like they are not getting their needs met. They’ll ask their partner to help them do something, but he never follows through. She will put up with this for a while, but once you notice she’s stopped asking for help, it may be too late.
When a woman has reached the point where she stops asking for help, she may have given up on the relationship entirely. She is burnt out and emotionally exhausted from balancing work, life, and her relationship. You’ll notice the little things she once asked for will become obsolete, and she will get in the habit of taking on tasks herself. Just because she isn’t asking for help doesn’t mean she does not need it.
5. She becomes overwhelmed
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Most women pride themselves on their ability to remain calm, cool, and collected even during the most stressful periods of their lives. Although studies have found that women are more stressed than men, we all know a woman who never lets on to it. If your wife has always kept calm, but you notice she is becoming more overwhelmed throughout the day, it’s time to step in and provide her with assistance.
Running a household, working, and maintaining her marriage is a lot of work. Wives have a lot of responsibilities. When they become emotionally exhausted, their patience will start to fade. You will notice she falls into the habit of snapping out of irritability. It’s because she is drained and everything feels overwhelming. What she once could push aside now feels like it’s going to make her collapse.
6. She stops doing things that she enjoys
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Emotional exhaustion is a state of feeling emotionally drained and worn out from the daily stress one experiences. When getting through the day feels stressful, finding time for yourself can feel impossible. A wife who has reached this point may no longer have the energy to do things she once loved. She will fall into the habit of putting her hobbies and passions aside. Finding time to take care of herself emotionally and mentally seems like too big a task.
“Emotional exhaustion is a state of feeling emotionally worn out and drained due to accumulated stress from one’s personal or work life, or a combination of both. It is one of the signs of burnout,” says Jacquelyn Cafasso for Healthline. “Over time, this chronic, stressed-out state can affect both your mental and physical health, leading to symptoms like lack of motivation, trouble sleeping, and physical fatigue.”
7. She feels mentally foggy
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Wives who are emotionally exhausted get into a cycle of brain fog. They struggle to focus on things. Once the one person who could find anything in your home, you will notice your wife has become in the habit of misplacing things. Her memory will become less sharp. She will struggle to stick to her schedule.
Brain fog is a sign that someone is dealing with a lot in their life. If they are sluggish, forgetful, confused, and spacey, these new habits may be a sign that she is in over her head and could use some help.
8. She cries easily
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Women are taught to be selfless and strong. They’re encouraged to take on the world around them without showing how difficult it is. As a result, they may show stoicism. Instead of letting themselves feel their emotions, they shut down to stay strong for everyone around them. If you have a wife who once took on this role but is now in the habit of crying easily and often, she is emotionally exhausted.
Emotional symptoms of this exhaustion include depression, anxiety, and tearfulness. Crying easily is a sign that your wife is overwhelmed and in need of assistance.
9. She avoids conflict
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Conflict avoidance can be common in relationships. It’s easier for some couples to pretend nothing is wrong than it is to conquer their struggles head-on. If you have a wife who understands that healthy arguments are needed to maintain relationships but has fallen into the habit of backing away from any conflict, she is emotionally exhausted. She no longer has the energy to push back. Instead, she will go along with whatever you say to keep things cool and calm.
A new lack of energy shows how emotionally exhausted she is. Failing to advocate for herself can be a habit she acquires after being emotionally exhausted for too long.
10. She puts everyone before herself
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Someone who is emotionally exhausted will find themselves going through the motions. They are following the same script they've been using. This includes putting everyone ahead of themselves. Instead of finding the time to relax and care for themselves, they develop a habit of taking care of everyone else first. When everything is said and done, they will have no energy to take care of themselves.
Studies have shown that going through the motions is a sign of burnout. An emotionally exhausted wife will be too burnt out to find time for herself. If you notice she is in the habit of putting everyone else first, it’s time to step in and give her some help.
11. She isn’t honest about her feelings
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Some wives have no problem standing up for themselves. If you do something that upsets her, she isn’t afraid to bite back. She will be upfront about her feelings to ensure her needs are met. When emotional exhaustion kicks in, finding the energy to share her thoughts with her husband feels impossible. She doesn’t have the capacity to have deep conversations.
If your wife has fallen into the habit of not sharing her feelings, she may not tell you she is feeling emotionally exhausted. If you notice this change in her, she needs your help to take some of the weight off her shoulders.
Haley Van Horn is a freelance writer with a master’s degree in Humanities, living in Los Angeles. Her focus includes entertainment and lifestyle stories.
