Marriage distress

Nursing Students General Students

Published

I am a senior nursing student whose marriage has gone into complete turmoil since I have started school. Any suggestions? I don't really know what's going on. I almost feel my husband is threatend by my new career choice, or maybe my lack of being home because of school and clinicals, he is always making crazy accusations. Will it get better?

HELP!!!!!

I'm not married, but everything has changed since starting school. My GI tract is not the same (stress) and things bother me more than normal. It is reasonable to think that my behavior to someone close to me, like a spouse, might appear differently. It's possible that your spouse detects a change in you and is suffering internally because he doesn't understand. There is possibly nothing sinister there.

We've all been involved in a relationship where we know something's wrong, but we just don't know what it is. It's frustrating, and perhaps that's what your husband is feeling.

Specializes in Geriatrics, Cardiac, ICU.

I'm sorry you are going through this. As to whether or not it will get better, I really don't know. All you can do is focus on what's important. You deserve to have a career and hopefully a lot of prayer and heart to hearts with your husband will pull you through. If this is your senior year, maybe he's just getting antsy and ready for you to graduate. He won't be complaining when you have double incomes now will he? Bling bling baby!

Specializes in Geriatrics, Cardiac, ICU.
My GI tract is not the same (stress) and things bother me more than normal.

Wow, I thought I was the only one.:uhoh21: :uhoh21: :uhoh21: :uhoh21:

Specializes in Education, Administration, Magnet.

You know, the first day of our nursing school, the instructors have told us that during the next 2 years there will be at least 2 deaths in the family, 2 divorces and 2 pregnancies in our class. We have almost met the numbers in the first semester.They said that we need to stay focused no matter what comes our way. I wish you the best and stay strong. You can do it...

Specializes in Postpartum/Nursery.
I am a senior nursing student whose marriage has gone into complete turmoil since I have started school. Any suggestions? I don't really know what's going on. I almost feel my husband is threatend by my new career choice, or maybe my lack of being home because of school and clinicals, he is always making crazy accusations. Will it get better?

HELP!!!!!

Oh my goodness.... bless your heart. I am nervous now b/c I'm a newlywed and I don't want my education to put a strain on my marriage. Thankfully, we are both college students so he understands the demands of college life. Just keep faith in God, and he will bless your marriage.

I am a senior nursing student whose marriage has gone into complete turmoil since I have started school. Any suggestions? I don't really know what's going on. I almost feel my husband is threatend by my new career choice, or maybe my lack of being home because of school and clinicals, he is always making crazy accusations. Will it get better?

HELP!!!!!

Get competent counseling ASAP. And set aside time to communicate. Write each other letters. Don't waste time on accusations. Talk about what you each need and want and are willing to bring to your relationship. Try to recall what brought you together in the first place. No matter how time pressured you are, set aside a couple of hours a week to put everything else on the back burner and concentrate on each other. Massage, sex, cuddling, dinner, (hey that's not a bad gameplan) do whatever will recharge your batteries. Think of it as a mandatory marriage clinical if that helps you make it a priority.

Finally, talk about your hopes and dreams. Once you've refreshed your friendship (and this is far more durable than romance), you can look to the future. Maybe he's bogged down in the now and has lost the ability to project even six months ahead. And really, that's all you're talking about. Six months till you graduate.

Maybe you can plan an inexpensive vacation or cruise for summer or early fall. Most employers will give you unpaid time off for plans you've already made if you mention them when you are offered a job.

The most important thing is to be on the same team tackling problems together, not attacking each other. It has been my experience that people lash out when they're hurting and being defensive only makes things worse. The most effective response you can have with someone who is finding fault with you is to ask them, "What do you need?" For men especially, many of them have never thought about their unhappiness in these terms. They only know they're feeling bad and it has something to do with you. By turning the focus to what that unmet need is, you are taking the first step toward meeting it.

There are all kinds of creative solutions to temporary problems. You'll get the best results if you put your heads--and hearts--together to find them.

I wish you the very best.

Thank you to everyone for your wonderful advice. It is really nice to be able to talk with people who know exactly what you are going through. All of my peers are too stressed out to talk to right now (finals week:) ). Thank you for your help, I will try to take your advice. Please don't be nervous newlywed, I think the fact your husband is in college also will make a huge difference in the understanding.

Specializes in OB, ortho/neuro, home care, office.

Alright, not to put a damper on things. But after have gone through serious marital problems myself during nursing school, and doing alot of reading, do keep one thing in the back of your mind. When a man accuses a woman of cheating. It very well could be a guilty conscious, at least in most books I have read.

My husband cheated on me at the beginning of my marriage, and then during school we had a small similar problem (I can't prove either way, so I choose to trust him). He started accusing me of cheating. That's when I realized that something was dreadfully wrong.

Keep strong, assure him that he is the only one for you, and that your change in status doesn't mean he's any less of a person, you will and do still love him

Get marriage counsoling before it gets too much worse.

Will be thinking of you in this difficult time

~Jen

Specializes in PeriOp, ICU, PICU, NICU.
I am a senior nursing student whose marriage has gone into complete turmoil since I have started school. Any suggestions? I don't really know what's going on. I almost feel my husband is threatend by my new career choice, or maybe my lack of being home because of school and clinicals, he is always making crazy accusations. Will it get better?

HELP!!!!!

You need to find the proper time to sit down and talk about the issue. He better than anyone can tell you what is going on. I am sure you BOTH can make some adjustments and pitch in to help the relationship. I am no Dr. Phil not intend to be one, but communication is the key.

I went through this already and through proper communication nailed the issue (which was menial) and easy to adjust. Best wishes to you.

School is a huge drain on you emotionally, mentally, sometimes physically. It is often misunderstood by spouses who are not going through the same thing, or have gone through the same thing. I recommend you try to get together with some other married couples in the class (Maybe go hang out after exams, bowling, or something where you can socalize.) It might be helpful for him to talk to some other husbands who have also had their wives start being different. Also of course, over break take some time to really talk to him and let him know how much you value him and care about him...etc.

One of the big things though is that you are being different. No doubt he is immensly proud of you for taking it on but he may also feel a bit overwhelmed by the "New you" and it can be difficult for someone to recognize this or even verbalize it... I definitely had this problem with my BF when he started to do a lot of traveling for his job. I was always the one who traveled and it took me a while to get adjusted. I was not jealous, but I would actually get sort of put out if he had to go and do training in an emergency....I was so so proud of what he was doing, but at the same time, I was a little irritated that he was making all these new friends without me... After a while, I adjusted...but I was a little not so good to be around for a while. Lucky for me he is a laid back guy and just sort of laughed at my sulky strange behavior.

Best Wishes. You can have both your marriage and complete nursing school- please remember it isn't either or....

Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.

Good advice. You must communicate, communicate, communicate. Hopefully, he just needs some reassurance. It's going to get tough and you need/and should expect his full support. Good luck.

Some men are threatened when wives enter nursing school. The potential for financial independence threatens some men, who might subconsciously or consciously like the dependence. There's been many a post here of nurses who are using their education to eventually leave their husbands (but staying with them for financial reasons). My sister graduated and left her husband within a week, completely totally out of the blue. Perhaps his buddies at work are telling him stories such as this.

Good luck.

+ Add a Comment