I’ve been reading a lot a people on the forum who are determined to stick with their significant other through the bad as well as the good. I’m wondering if that is a sign of the times. As mental illness is better understood, our loved ones don’t bail as quickly.
There was a period there were divorce was at a drop of a hat. I was hearing of my parents friends getting divorced over things like “too much football watching” “snoring” “ugly socks” and “didn’t like her pet”
For a while, my parents were considered very weird because they are still together. There were some hard years during my worst and there were some tears, but they stuck it out and are still very much together today.
When I see people on the forum who are 18, 20, and so on, and they are determined to stick it out, I’m wondering what is this saying about the state of things. Are people more optimistic? Are they more giving? Am I just seeing a tiny section not representing the norm? Or is it a sign of healing?
I’d like to take it as a sign of healing. When I wasn’t doing well, I broke and threw away two relationships that could have been very good to me. I’ve been lucky and dodged a bullet of three bad ones. But there were two I regret messing up.
There are so many older articles that state that people with mental illness don’t often have any relationships much less marry. But on this forum, I see something vastly different. More and more people are popping up as having been married, or sticking through the hard times recently.
Maybe now that I’m doing better, I’m more of an optimist and it’s just the illusion of rose colored glasses.
What do others think? Are things getting better or worse?
