When you struggle with anxiety, it can be too easy to outsource your happiness and rely on your relationship to make you happy. One of the core drivers of anxiety is compromising yourself and people pleasing which creates havoc in relationships.
Most of the people I speak to in my private practice make their happiness mainly (and sometimes solely) dependant on their relationship. This gives your relationship huge pressure, actually, too much pressure. It also means that if the relationship fails, the emotional devastation can be overwhelming.
As a psychologist, I measure relationships by looking at the 3 people involved. No, I haven’t gone all 2023 on you and started treating throuples as the norm! Every relationship involves 2 individuals and the 3rd person that’s the relationship. Each of these 3 people need an equal measure of input.