Feeling Suffocated in a Relationship - How to Deal With It?

Do you ever feel like you can’t breathe in your relationship? Like you have no space, no freedom, no identity of your own? Do you feel trapped, controlled, or smothered by your partner? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you might be feeling suffocated in a relationship.

why do i feel suffocated emotionally?

Feeling emotionally suffocated can happen when you're overwhelmed by stress or unresolved problems, making you feel trapped. It can also come from feeling unfulfilled or unsupported in your relationships or surroundings.

Feeling suffocated in a relationship is a common problem that many people face at some point in their lives. It can happen in any type of relationship, whether it is romantic, familial, or platonic. It can also happen for various reasons, such as:

1. Lack of trust

If you or your partner have trust issues, you might feel the need to constantly check on each other, monitor each other’s activities, or demand access to each other’s phones, emails, or social media accounts. This can create a sense of insecurity, anxiety, and resentment in the relationship.

2. Codependency

If you or your partner depend on each other for everything, you might lose your sense of self and individuality. You might feel like you can’t function without your partner, or that your partner can’t function without you. This can create a sense of pressure, obligation, and guilt in the relationship.

3. Lack of boundaries

If you or your partner don’t respect each other’s boundaries, you might feel like you have no privacy, no autonomy, or no control over your own life. You might feel like you have to share everything with your partner, or that your partner has to share everything with you. This can create a sense of invasion, violation, and anger in the relationship.

4. Lack of communication

If you or your partner don’t communicate effectively, you might feel like you don’t understand each other, or that you are not understood by each other. You might feel like you have to guess what your partner wants, or that your partner has to guess what you want. This can create a sense of confusion, frustration, and disappointment in the relationship.

5. Lack of balance

If you or your partner don’t have a healthy balance between your relationship and other aspects of your life, you might feel like you have no time, no energy, or no interest for anything else. You might feel like you have to spend all your time with your partner, or that your partner has to spend all their time with you. This can create a sense of boredom, isolation, and stagnation in the relationship.

Why I am Feeling Suffocated in a Relationship?

If you are feeling suffocated in a relationship, you might wonder why you are feeling this way. You might also wonder if there is something wrong with you, or with your partner, or with your relationship. The truth is, there is no simple answer to these questions.

Feeling suffocated in a relationship can be caused by a combination of factors, such as:

Maybe it is You and Your Personality

Some people are more prone to feeling suffocated in a relationship than others, depending on their personality traits, preferences, and needs.

For example, if you are an introvert, you might need more alone time and space than an extrovert. Moreover, if you are a highly sensitive person, you might need more privacy and quiet than a less sensitive person. If you are an independent person, you might need more freedom and autonomy than a dependent person.

Your Partner’s Personality

Similarly, your partner’s personality can also influence how you feel in the relationship. Picture it, if your partner is an extrovert, they might need more social interaction and stimulation than an introvert. If your partner is a less sensitive person, they might need more feedback and affirmation than a highly sensitive person.

If your partner is a dependent person, they might need more support and reassurance than an independent person.

Your Compatibility with Your Partner

Another factor that can affect how you feel in the relationship is how compatible you and your partner are. Compatibility is not just about having similar interests, values, and goals, but also about having similar expectations, styles, and rhythms in the relationship.

For example, if you and your partner have different levels of intimacy, commitment, or involvement, you might feel mismatched and dissatisfied in the relationship.

Your situation

Lastly, your situation can also play a role in how you feel in the relationship. Situation refers to the external circumstances and events that affect your relationship, such as stress, work, family, friends, health, finances, etc. For example, if you and your partner are going through a difficult or challenging time, you might feel more tense and strained in the relationship.

How to Deal with Feeling Suffocated in a Relationship

Feeling suffocated in a relationship can be a very unpleasant and unhealthy experience. It can affect your mental, emotional, and physical well-being, as well as your relationship quality and satisfaction. Therefore, it is important to address this issue and find ways to cope with it.

Here are some tips on how to deal with feeling suffocated in a relationship;

Identify the root cause

The first step to deal with feeling suffocated in a relationship is to identify the root cause of your feelings. Is it your personality, your partner’s personality, your compatibility, or your situation? Or is it a combination of these factors? Once you know the source of your problem, you can work on finding a solution that suits your needs and preferences.

Communicate with your partner

The second step to deal with feeling suffocated in a relationship is to communicate with your partner. Communication is key to any healthy relationship, especially when you are feeling suffocated. You need to express your feelings, needs, and expectations to your partner, and listen to theirs as well.

You need to be honest, respectful, and empathetic in your communication, and avoid blaming, criticizing, or accusing your partner. You also need to be open to feedback, compromise, and change, and work together to find a middle ground that works for both of you.

Set healthy boundaries

The third step to deal with feeling suffocated in a relationship is to set healthy boundaries. Boundaries are the limits and rules that you and your partner agree on to protect your individuality, privacy, and autonomy in the relationship.

Boundaries can include things like how much time you spend together, how much information you share, how much involvement you have in each other’s lives, etc. Boundaries can help you create a sense of space, freedom, and respect in the relationship, and prevent feelings of suffocation, invasion, or control.

Maintain your identity

The fourth step to deal with feeling suffocated in a relationship is to maintain your identity. Identity is your sense of who you are, what you like, what you value, what you do, etc. Identity can help you feel confident, fulfilled, and happy in your life, and in your relationship.

To maintain your identity, you need to pursue your own interests, hobbies, passions, and goals, and not lose yourself in your partner or your relationship. You also need to have your own friends, family, and social circle, and not isolate yourself from them. You also need to have your own opinions, beliefs, and values, and not compromise them for your partner or your relationship.

Seek professional help

The fifth and final step to deal with feeling suffocated in a relationship is to seek professional help. Sometimes, feeling suffocated in a relationship can be a sign of a deeper or more serious issue, such as low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, trauma, abuse, etc.

In such cases, you might need the help of a qualified therapist, counselor, or coach, who can help you understand and overcome your feelings, and improve your relationship.

Professional help can also help you learn new skills, strategies, and techniques to cope with feeling suffocated in a relationship, and prevent it from happening again.

In Nutshell

Feeling suffocated in a relationship can be a painful and stressful experience, but it doesn’t have to be the end of your relationship. By following these tips, you can deal with feeling suffocated in a relationship, and create a more healthy, balanced, and satisfying relationship with your partner. 

Remember, you deserve to breathe freely and happily in your relationship, and in your life.