His Wife Was Institutionalized After A Mental Break Down, And He’s So Burnt Out He Wants To Leave Her
Eighteen years. That’s how long this 35-year-old man has been with his 34-year-old wife, but now he’s ready to call it quits.
He and his wife have a five-year-old, and three-year-old twins, and for over four years, it’s been left to him to be the primary caregiver to their children while also playing the role of breadwinner in their house.
His wife has struggled her whole life with mental health issues due to the emotional trauma she suffered as a child.
Her parents had a contentious divorce, and she no longer gets along with her mom or the majority of her siblings because of it.
He and his wife have tried everything to help treat her and have sought help from numerous medical professionals, but not a single thing has given his wife some reprieve.
Earlier in the year, his wife had a total mental breakdown and was institutionalized. While she was still in the institution, she received therapy and various medications that appear to be helping her improve.
“After all of this, I’ve burnt out,” he admitted. “I’ve supported her and the kids with everything I could possibly give them and have had little time to regroup myself.”
“For a good share of our relationship, there’s been very little reciprocation on caring acts or romantic gestures.”
“Last year, during one of her very low periods, I started to have doubts that I can continue with the relationship, and have had waves where I’ve lost romantic feelings for her.”
Claudia Hi – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual person
This weekend, he sat down with his wife to discuss how burnt out and done he is, and he confessed to her that he basically feels like they’re friends instead of husband and wife, going through the motions of raising children.
His wife was not only blindsided, but his words caused her a lot of heartache. While it was a painful chat to have on his end, too, he can no longer keep waking up every day like this.
He was hopeful that perhaps his dose of candidness would help his wife try to do a better job over the last few days, but she hasn’t made an effort to pitch in more and relieve him from some of the tasks that are causing him burnout.
“I [have] an appointment coming up with a therapist already, and hope to get some closure, but [I] am concerned that the damage is done with us and that separation, divorce, and splitting our family is inevitable,” he concluded.
What advice do you have for him?
You can read the original post on Reddit here.
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