I’m really struggling with my marriage at the moment. It’s been bad for a couple of years and due to all the stress I’ve developed anxiety and sleep issues. I’ve sort of lost sight of what’s normal. Can I ask those in a long term marriage how does your OH talk to you? Tone of voice etc? It feels like my DH pushes back on every single thing I say. Holding any sort of conversation with him has become impossible. It’s led to me being incredibly unhappy. I used to love a good old chat. Shooting the breeze but now with him, whatever I say gets challenged and shot down and pushed against...I don’t know if I’m being too sensitive but it’s led to me not telling him things. For example, if I wanted to go swimming in the sea one morning I simply would go and not tell him. I’d say I’m off to the gym (as that’s my normal expected routine) but I wouldn’t say “hey I’m off to swim in the sea”. If I told him that’s where I’m going I’d get an atmosphere back and questioned and some sort of low level undermining. I find him over-riding me. He’s very sure of himself and competitive and has to know everything and be right all the time and it’s led to me taking a back seat in our marriage. We live near his family, his friends, in a house he wants to live in. Put simply, he’s always got his own way and my needs don’t seem to count. It’s impossible to express my needs because he becomes very defensive. However, for me, the worst thing is the daily pushing back in any conversation. Does anyone else get this? I’m having my own counselling at the moment so I’m trying to work through all of this as my self esteem and self confidence are at an all time low.