 You're aware that every time you have to go to your parent's house, you get a sudden stomach ache and an anxiety attack. You know that every time you let things pile up, you suddenly shut down and have the urge to go to sleep instead of working on what you have to do. You realize that maybe your anxiety is taking control over huge chunks of your life. But have you ever wondered if your anxiety is ruining your relationship? Generalized anxiety disorder, or GAD, is characterized by an excessive worry about a number of different things. This constant worrying can make you develop anxiety-motivated behaviors that might get in the way of your job, your family, your friends, and even your romantic relationships. So, how do you know if your anxiety is ruining your relationships? Here are some signs. First off, avoiding. If you are avoiding the person in any way, your anxiety might be in the way of your relationship. When it comes to avoidance, anxiety can manifest as not opening up to your partner, avoiding serious or deep topics, not communicating, or even not getting into relationships at all. According to an article on Very Well Mind, what people with anxiety are trying to avoid is negative feelings, feeling more anxiety, and getting hurt. Someone who is avoidant of close relationships may seem cold, lacking empathy, and emotionally unavailable. They may also come off as passive-aggressive in an attempt to avoid people. People suffering from anxiety can also turn to avoidance in order to spare their partner from their problems, thinking that they'll burden their partner if they share anything. Anxious people may dismiss their own troubles, which also means their partner can't nurture and support them as well as they could. On the flip side is dependence. The other side of avoidance is codependency. In this case, the person suffering from anxiety has an excessive dependency on their partner for support and assurance. They also have a deep and constant desire for closeness, whether that be physical, emotional, or mental. Very Well Mind states that, along with being overly dependent, people with anxiety may find themselves prone to overthinking, planning for all worst-case scenarios, being indecisive, veering rejection, leaking out, constant communication, and getting anxious if a partner or friend does not respond quickly. The anxiety can quickly turn into anger and can cause the person to act out in ways that threaten to break up the relationship. Other behaviors in people who suffer from anxiety can include being controlling, being distracted, and having trouble focusing, coming across as overly critical, and being a perfectionist. Most of these behaviors are triggered by constant questions and ruminating that people with anxiety tend to do some things they may be thinking about could be. What if they don't love me as much as I love them? What if they're lying to me? What if they're hiding something from me? What if they're cheating on me? What if they like someone else more? What if my anxiety ruins our relationship? What if we break up? What if they don't text me back? What if I'm always the first one to reach out? What if they ghost me? These thoughts go round and round in their minds, creating negative worst-case scenarios. They may come to believe these scenarios, which might lead them to make some negative decisions or act in explosive ways. So, how to help? If you are a friend or partner of someone suffering from anxiety, remind them that you're there for them and that whatever it is that they're going through, you can help handle it. Encourage them to seek therapy, whether individual or couples, and maybe seek therapy for yourselves that you can learn more about how anxiety works and better help yourself and your partner. If you are the one suffering from anxiety, get help by going to a therapist. Try to slowly open yourself up to your partner and lean more on them if you're one who tends to avoid. If you're a person who tends to be overly dependent, look into yourself and realize that you are more than capable to work on some things on your own. You don't need to depend on others all of the time. So, did you identify with this video? Let us know in the comments what you think. Don't forget to check out our YouTube channel for more on psychology and mental health. As usual, all references are in the description below. Until next time.