When I first got the news that my partner lost his job, I obviously understood that it was significant. But I focused more on the emotional and mental effect it would have on my partner, rather than the ways it would affect us. Any time someone loses a job, it’s a hit to their self-esteem. Why were they the one laid off? Could they have done one little thing differently to keep the job? A lot of the immediate concerns are usually focused on how things could have been done differently. The newly unemployed is still trying to grab onto some piece of the sinking ship. But once that ship is totally gone, they turn around and realize they’re just…floating…in a seemingly endless ocean of unemployment. And that feeling—that feeling of having nothing to hold onto—can mess a person up. Here are the sneaky ways unemployment affects a relationship.
You feel bad making frivolous purchases
I try to hide new shoes or frivolous, unnecessary items I buy from my partner. I feel guilty buying things I don’t need when he can barely afford the things he does need. And, I can’t help but feel a little judged, as if he’s thinking, “That’s not how I’d spend my extra income if I had any. I’d be saving it.”