Forum topic: Energy drain

I was wondering if anyone else can  relate? I have an intense feeling of my energy draining away when I am around my Inattentive ADD husband. Or sometimes I have the feeling that I can't breathe, like there is no air in the room. I feel more balanced when we are not in the same physical space, and dadly when he travels i feel my energy tank slowly refilling. He has crushingly low self esteem, and has needed me to prop him up a lot, and since I'm so exhausted and burnt out I have retreated a lot emotionally to save myself. But I feel when I am around him that his energy literally is a void that mine gets pulled into. It's a bizarre feeling, but getting stronger and stronger all the time. Am I crazy?

Comments

Not being able to communicate your needs or emotions to someone who either: doesn't want to hear it, doesn't care, or just stops the conversation before it gets very far ( or it starts a conflict if you do ) will make me feel this way. If you can't express it, it has to go somewhere?

This is exactly what I've felt too

The ADD lack of initiative, the depression and anxiety all resulted in me feeling I needed to do something, or else all of our family's lives would be wasted. This constant pull at my nervous system never allowed any relaxation. Hence exhaustion.

Can also cause these symptoms.  I'm experiencing burnout currently from the Christmas season and I'm recognizing the symptoms. Being on antidepressants and amphetamine can also mask the symptoms as well. Not taking my meds yesterday morning caused me to crash, and feeling the brunt of what lies underneath. 

Causes:

Unmanageable workloads
Unfair treatment at work
Confusing work responsibilities
Lack of communication or support from
managers
Immense deadline pressure
Too much work, not enough time to rest
(downtime)
A feeling that work or life is out of your
control
Feeling unrecognized or unrewarded
Work or responsibilities that feel too
demanding
Boring or routine work, or chaotic or
high-stress work
Taking on too much without asking for
help
Lack of sleep

Few supportive or meaningful
relationships
Personality traits such as perfectionism,
pessimism, and a need for control

I can personally check off most of this list. 

 

Do you think it could be anxiety?....From day one, there was always a lack of connection w/us, which sponsored an uneasiness in me...I could never relax, everything in me had to be flowing out to her...With little to nothing flowing back...I was focused on (hyper) while we dated, and maybe six month after the vows...It's been mentally and emotionally draining...

c

C, I agree from my experience at least. Anxiety from feeling helpless and still responsible for everything...

I watched her play her life away, w/ no concern for how she left any room in the house, Eat, play, TV, little to no thought of what she left in her wake, for the family to deal with..(Me), and no thought of my needs.....I was in shock most of the time....Anxiety and Stress has been my closest companions....

I'm so sad today about this senseless waste of life. I never could see the whole picture until after divorce. Then it all showed itself, the slow loss of everything I cared about during the ADHD marriage. The people. The dreams and hopes. My confidence. I feel life has been ruined. There's a new year coming but I have no anticipation.

Why did we subject ourselves to this for so long..?