Relationships are tough. As much as we try to romanticize them and keep them going as if it were a dream, it is not possible. There are several challenges that can come in your way, one of the worse being your partner cheating on you. Loyalty is an important factor in any relationship and once that goes out of place, it can affect one’s life drastically.

Cheating has several implications that affect our lives to a great extent. There are also psychological effects of a cheating partner that affect your life. Here are some of the ways that the psychological effects of a cheating spouse can affect our lives.

 The time taken for bitter experiences such as this to pass can vary, but not matter how long it takes to move through this phase is difficult for everyone. 

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Loss

It is like losing a particular section of your life. You have lost your relationship, or marriage, at least in the way that you once knew it.  Whether you stay or go, it won’t be quite the same again. A entire section of your life has collapsed so it is bound to feel bitter, angry and broken on the inside. Even good things begin to seem like they are negative.

Self-blame

There is no particular order that you might experience some of the psychological effects of a cheating spouse and you may not experience all of them – but self-blame is a common after-effect from cheating.  You know things will get better with time, but you also keep feeling if it was your fault in all the mess. But you can’t control what happened and what will happen, so the best way is to go easy on yourself and let time take its course.

Anxiety

Edgy or anxious feelings are likely to be a huge psychological effect of a cheating spouse. Afterall, you are unsettled, your whole life hangs in the balance (and the life of your children too, if you have any).   The good news is that this level of anxiety is warranted, you are in an unstable situation which is what causes the anxiety.  But if it continues long after you’ve settled back down then you probably need to check that.

Reduced Esteem

When we are in the midst of dealing with a spouse who has cheated, we will be reconciling the fact that the person, who you loved, trusted and invested your life in has essentially chosen somebody else over you.   Of course, that won’t entirely be how it occurred, or even how your spouse views matters, but this will be logical to you (and we can understand that). 

Eating disorders

Anyone, regardless of age, gender or weight, can be affected by eating problems, such as restricting the amount you eat, eating a lot in secret or basing your self-worth on how much you weigh. Research has found that the beginning of eating problems can be linked to a stressful event or trauma such as cheating, in which a person a lack of confidence or control and become intensely critical of themselves.

Recreational drug use and drinking

Drugs and alcohol will seem like a crutch initially, but can lead you into a downward spiral as a solution to the emotional trauma of being cheated on. While this may provide a short-lived respite, the affects can be extremely damaging to a person’s mental health by inducing psychosis, panic attacks or addiction.

In the end it all depends on how resilient you are. The incident can lead you to making a choice – become stronger or destroy self and relationships around you. Remember that this is not the end, and this one is not on you. You do not owe anyone anything, except moving on at your own time regardless of what the darkness in your mind tells you.