ADHD, or attention deficit disorder, can have some major effects on romantic relationships. Whether you have been diagnosed with ADHD, or have a partner with ADHD, there are some things you can learn to help cope with the behavioral effect of ADHD within your relationship.
While at times, ADHD behaviors may cause frustrations in a relationship, understanding more about ADHD can help. Keep reading to learn how you or your partner can learn to work together through the behavioral effects of ADHD for a happy and healthy relationship.
Learn more about ADHD and relationships below.
How Does ADHD Affect Relationships?
Some symptoms of ADHD may involve disorganization, distractibility, or impulsivity, which can cause issues in many areas of adult life, including relationships. This can be especially true if one has not been diagnosed or properly treated. If you are someone with ADHD, you may at times feel like you are constantly being nagged, criticized, or micromanaged by a partner.
You also may feel like no matter what you do, it is difficult to please or meet the expectations of a spouse or partner. This may leave you feeling that you are not respected, and as a result, you may feel like avoiding your partner or saying whatever you need to say to get them off your back. You may often wish that your significant other would just relax and take it easy rather than trying to control certain aspects of your life.
If you are in a relationship with someone who has ADHD and you do not, you may at times feel lonely, ignored, or unappreciated. You may feel tired of feeling that you are taking care of things on your own or that you are the only responsible adult in the relationship. You may feel that it’s difficult to rely on your partner.
It may feel as though you are constantly having to give them reminders about upcoming events, errands, or other priorities. It may feel that it’s difficult for them to keep up with promises or that you are often doing tasks that you asked them to do on your own. This all may feel to you as if your significant other simply does not care.
The Aftermath
On both sides of this situation, it may feel like a struggle, as these behaviors can feel like a continuous and destructive cycle for both parties. When not handled correctly, the partner without ADHD may become sick of feeling that they are constantly nagging the other while the partner with ADHD may become resentful of the other. This can cause the partner with ADHD to feel judged, causing them to get defensive or distanced.
It could also cause the partner with ADHD to feel a sense of uselessness. However, handling the behaviors of ADHD and their effect on a relationship does not have to be this way. If you want the partnership to work, it’s important to learn more about ADHD and how to handle its effect on the individual and the relationship for the best results.
Understanding ADHD and Relationships
Working to build an understanding of ADHD and how it relates to your relationship can help to develop more productive and positive ways to deal with the challenges that come into play as well as how to communicate with one another more effectively. This can add a greater sense of understanding to the relationship between both partners, allowing you to come closer together for a healthier relationship. To transform the relationship, you will need to understand the role that ADHD plays in the relationship.
This will help you understand and identify how ADHD symptoms affect your interactions as a couple, which can help to learn new and more productive ways of responding to these symptoms. For someone with ADHD, this may look like learning how to manage your symptoms. For the partner without ADHD, this may mean learning how to react to the frustrations these symptoms cause you in ways that motivate and encourage your partner rather than frustrate them in return.
Do Some Research
A great way for both partners to garner a better understanding of ADHD and its symptoms is to learn about it . This will help you both see how it is influencing your relationships. You may feel that some light bulbs turn on, or that many of the issues that you face as a couple are finally beginning to make sense.
Understanding how the ADHD brain and non-ADHD brain work differently can help to build some understanding and sympathy towards the other’s frustrations. You can work together to manage these symptoms and encourage each other to communicate and figure out what works best. If you are a partner with ADHD, it’s best to acknowledge how ADHD may affect your partner, and if you are a non-ADHD partner, you will be able to better understand how ADHD affects them.
Coping With ADHD in Relationships
Dealing with ADHD in a relationship can feel frustrating at times for both partners, but you can work to build a trusting and compassionate relationship by learning more about ADHD and how to manage it. For someone with ADHD, it may be best to seek counseling and/or therapy to learn skills on how to manage it. Are you looking for mental health care in the Minneapolis area? If so, contact us today to get started.
