Relationships are difficult to manage! They are tricky and sometimes come to a dead end with no apparent solution. Whether it is a love marriage or an arranged one, it moves through various twists and turns. No marriage is perfect. However, the conflicts that arise in relationships that lead to a dead end with no solution in sight can be sorted out with the help of psychologists.
In Pakistan, traditional issues affect the relationships of married couples. These include living in joint family systems that are expansive, moving from a smaller place to a bigger city for better job prospects, strictly defined gender rules and expectations, and misogynistic thoughts and actions. These are some major and most common issues that affect married couples’ relationships in Pakistani society.
Some transitions are extreme in nature, including movement from a rural to an urban setup, shift of jobs from a smaller company to a multi-national one, and even a move from a joint family system to a nuclear one.
In this article, we will discuss navigating major transitions as a couple and how a psychologist can help manage them. We will also talk about ways through which a traditional society can influence the mindset of a couple and how it can fight through a transition and come out victoriously, together!
How Do Psychologists Help In Managing Life Transitions For Married Couples?
This may seem bizarre, especially in the context of Pakistani society, where only elders are supposed to intervene and help the couple in personal troubles, but psychologists can actually play a massive role in helping the couple. They assist them in managing their life transitions and sailing smoothly through the change.
Some ways through which psychologists and psychiatrists help couples going through major life transitions are as follows:
Help In Emotional Management
Major transitions resulting from huge and bold decisions require strong emotional management. Often, shifting places is not just a logistical change; rather, it is significant and requires emotional strength to deal with.
This is especially true when one member shifts to a different place for better job prospects while the other stays behind. In this situation, expert mental health specialists help the couples map out their emotional tensions on time and equip them with the skills to deal with them.
A proactive approach of perceiving when these emotional struggles will appear and strategically planning to deal with them beforehand helps keep the relationship stable.
Dealing With The Change Together
Major transitions in life can lead to putting a couple against one another. Rather than taking actions to deal with the change together, they end up quarrelling with each other. Psychologists aid them in shifting their mindset from thinking they are against each other to considering themselves a team against the change. The pressure of accepting the change gets converted into dealing with the change together.
The inability to conceive right after marriage puts a huge pressure on a couple, especially in Pakistani society. A newly married life is tricky, and the societal expectations make it even more intricate. In such situations, couples tend to get affected emotionally, which drifts them apart. Psychologists help them act like a team under pressure.
Dealing with gender rules
The Pakistani society is a mix of misogynistic and liberal values. Problems arise when two people from these different schools of thought enter a marital relationship. Where a misogynistic mindset believes in set gender roles, liberals prefer fluid gender roles.
The deeply rooted gender roles in the Pakistani society and a firm belief lead to a lot of tension amongst couples. So much so that the misunderstandings can take them to the verge of splitting up, psychologists help such couples unlearn the learned principles for both misogynist and liberal mindsets. They help the couple decide on their rules that help them sail through difficult situations.
Psychologists Give A Safe Space To Talk
Couples that drift apart mostly do so owing to an immense lack of communication. The fact that they don’t discuss matters with each other creates an unseen distance. They feel insecure while spilling out their emotions. This is when psychologists come to the rescue.
Expert psychologists provide a safe place for the couple to talk. They are encouraged to pour their hearts out and discuss their feelings with one another without anyone judging them. The psychologist’s role here is to help them open up so they can convey their thoughts and feelings.
In such a nonjudgmental and encouraging environment, it becomes easier for the couple to have an open discussion and discuss what bothers them. There is no blame game, nor any gaslighting attempts, as a mental health expert mitigates the situation.
Through these sessions, the mental health experts coach the couple in learning how to communicate well and discuss matters openly. They let them be clear about their feelings rather than concealing them and bottling them up.
Many couples have unrealistic expectations of each other. When these expectations are not fulfilled, they lead to a breakdown of trust or the rise of negative feelings for one another. Psychologists subtly give the couple a reality check and let them learn about the reality of life.
Final Thoughts
Major life transitions can wreak havoc on couples. Changes are not easy, and neither is accepting the results. Significant life changes may include shifting cities, financial changes, new kids, or changes in careers. These shifts may seem insignificant, but can have a major impact on the couples. Where some may navigate through them smoothly, others need external help to cope with their emotional changes that come through these real life modifications.
Psychologists at SehatYab help such couples win each other’s trust once again and get back on track. They aid them in turning tough transitions into opportunities for growth. They ensure the couples mend their relationships and make them stronger than ever by bringing back trust and a firm belief in each other.
If you are dealing with a couple’s problem, it’s time to book a consultation with SehatYab!
