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Relationships

Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

Feeling really alone in marriage

11 replies

bean812 · 29/11/2025 23:26

I hate that I'm typing this but I don't know what else to do. Sometimes I feel like a single mum that's 'co parenting' and not in a married couple. My dh seems to have lost any emotional intelligence or care for me at all. He focusses on the kids and on his work. He seems bored by anything I say - often he doesn't even look at me. My happiness is with my kids and any time I get to have doing things I enjoy, having a coffee with a good friend, spending time without him. When I'm with him I feel like all my thoughts are deemed nonsense. Has anyone else been in this situation. Is there any way of turning it around or is this it now?

OP posts:
MarginWalker · 29/11/2025 23:44

Have you tried telling him what you told us here?

bean812 · 29/11/2025 23:50

MarginWalker · 29/11/2025 23:44

Have you tried telling him what you told us here?

Yes, many times over the years. He just says it's nonsense, that he doesn't do that. Then he walks off. We don't spend much time together just the two of us but when I bring that up he sees it as an extra chore. It didn't used to be like this but since having kids it's like his sole focus is them and his work. I don't have much spare time around family and work, but our relationship matters to me, but recently I feel like I can't keep pretending I'm ok with the lack of emotional connection between us, and me doing all the work to try and fix it.

OP posts:
amispeakingintongues · 30/11/2025 00:13

You need to make him understand the gravity of the situation. He is coasting and taking you for granted. No one here can tell you how he’s feeling towards to you but he is evidently undermining your feelings. He needs an ultimatum. That will show you whether there’s any fight in him left.

StruggleFlourish · 30/11/2025 00:25

It's great to hear that he is so heavily invested emotionally in the children, at least that's something. Because if he weren't interested in the kids, and he wasn't interested in you, and all he was interested in was his work, then it seems like a pretty simple solution. The ever so easy to say but not so easy to do, "divorce him".

You've tried communicating with him how you feel, he said it's nonsense and walks away. So I'm thinking that he wouldn't be very open to any type of counseling. That you try to speak to him and he shuts you down, more than likely in his mind if he walks away from the problem, then it doesn't exist. If you talk about it, that makes it more real. It's probably easier for him to deny there's a problem and put his blinders on, then when finally you've had enough and something happens like a big fight or you decide that it is time to leave him, consciously or unconsciously he will claim that he never saw this coming and it's completely blindsided him.

Communication is key. And if he walks away and won't talk to you, how are you supposed to communicate?
I suppose you could try writing this stuff down, maybe he finds it difficult to speak to you in a one-on-one conversation. Maybe it's difficult for him to look in your eyes and see the pain or hear the pain in your voice, if you do write anything, be careful with what you write, no matter what form you write it, because then there was always written proof of what was said... And you don't want something that was written as part of an exercise to communicate with him during a time when you're feeling hurt, to be used as ammunition in a divorce settlement, later.

BeOchreGuide · 30/11/2025 00:37

Yes. And have been in marriage counselling for some time which has helped enormously (both of us).

Probably more running underneath this and you need to prod at it in a safe space, my husband was the same and honestly, it took someone else to point it out for him to actually believe it (annoyance in itself!!) and that there are problems within him and not just me, but we got there. Just totally lost any connection after kids came along in the daily grind, stopped/didn't have the energy for connection etc. it's much better now, still working on things. But I also feel more empowered to being things up and knowing I'm going to be taken seriously which helps alot.

Isthisreasonable · 30/11/2025 00:43

During my marriage was the loneliest I have ever felt. He wouldn't accept it or work on it. I'm alone but never lonely. Divorcing him made my life much happier. Hope you find a good solution for you.

bean812 · 06/12/2025 16:34

amispeakingintongues · 30/11/2025 00:13

You need to make him understand the gravity of the situation. He is coasting and taking you for granted. No one here can tell you how he’s feeling towards to you but he is evidently undermining your feelings. He needs an ultimatum. That will show you whether there’s any fight in him left.

I have tried to explain it to him at various points but he just tolerates the conversation for a short while then starts sighing and saying "are we really talking about this again?!" He tells me it's all nonsense or it's not true. He says there's something wrong with me, or I'm too sensitive. That I should "cheer up". He only really tolerates me when I'm happy. But I'm only really happy when he's not there, or when I'm somewhere else, with other people.

OP posts:
bean812 · 06/12/2025 16:35

BeOchreGuide · 30/11/2025 00:37

Yes. And have been in marriage counselling for some time which has helped enormously (both of us).

Probably more running underneath this and you need to prod at it in a safe space, my husband was the same and honestly, it took someone else to point it out for him to actually believe it (annoyance in itself!!) and that there are problems within him and not just me, but we got there. Just totally lost any connection after kids came along in the daily grind, stopped/didn't have the energy for connection etc. it's much better now, still working on things. But I also feel more empowered to being things up and knowing I'm going to be taken seriously which helps alot.

How did you persuade your husband to go to counselling with you? I've done some on my own a while ago, but he always insists it's something I should do to feel better.

OP posts:
amispeakingintongues · 06/12/2025 22:12

bean812 · 06/12/2025 16:34

I have tried to explain it to him at various points but he just tolerates the conversation for a short while then starts sighing and saying "are we really talking about this again?!" He tells me it's all nonsense or it's not true. He says there's something wrong with me, or I'm too sensitive. That I should "cheer up". He only really tolerates me when I'm happy. But I'm only really happy when he's not there, or when I'm somewhere else, with other people.

I’m sorry to hear that. I know it must be a tough position to be in. Would you feel happier unmarried? Is it a feasible option right now?

Conniediamond · 06/12/2025 22:33

I’m in the same boat as you but I’m not married. My partner shuts me down whenever I try and talk about the relationship, he stone walls and says it’s all my fault. I think it’s classic avoidant behaviour and this type of person needs to acknowledge it and grow as person to improve but I think that’s rare…I just don’t think this type of man has empathy or the willingness to make things better. I also prefer when he’s not around, I feel calmer and more at peace. I have a 4 year old with him and he’s a great dad….i don’t think things will change personally. This type of man won’t look inward and reflect, sometimes I think breaking up is the only option but it’s not that easy

Mumlaplomb · 06/12/2025 23:24

If he isn’t meeting your reasonable emotional needs and won’t even acknowledge there’s a problem OP, then you may need to consider whether there is a future here for you long term. We all deserve to be with someone who can meet our emotional needs.

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