Give yourself permission to lean on your partner.

Of course, we are perfectly capable of taking care of ourselves, but one of the nice things about being married is that we don’t have to shoulder life all on our own. We can let our spouse take care of us once in a while. We don’t have to do it alone.

Our spouse wants what is best for us. They really want our life to be comfortable and with as little stress as possible. In a caring marriage, our spouse will have our back and we can lean on them. This supporting each other is an important part of relationship.

We have to help our spouse know how to support us. What do we want or need from them? Do we need physical or emotional support? Some esteem boosting? Advice? Practical help? Comfort? Validation? Help solving a problem? Time alone? Make a decision so we don’t have to?

When we don’t know, we can ask that too: 💬“I don’t know what I need, maybe you can offer some suggestions.”

We can’t expect that they will notice that we could use their support. We have to ask for what we want or need. Don’t hint. Don’t demand.