When you’re in a relationship, it’s not just physical intimacy that matters. It’s also not just about working out your finances and figuring out who does what household chores. You must provide emotional and mental support to your partner in order to keep them happy in your relationship.
According to Her World’s What Women Want Survey 2020, women spend disproportionately more time on household chores (59% overall) and caregiving duties (67% overall) than men, regardless of age group, education level, job position, and weekly work hours. Notably, women between the ages of 40 and 49 are most likely to have to do household chores.
You might think that splitting chores more evenly would make it easier. You might think that dividing chores more evenly would be the best solution. But, the survey also revealed that women want their partners to provide mental and emotional support. This was desired by 50% of the women surveyed, compared to 43% for household chores and 31% for caregiving duties, 29% for finances, and 31% for caregiving duties. This shows the importance of maintaining emotional and mental health in relationships.
The importance and value of emotional and psychological support
Your relationship will benefit if you have your partner’s emotional and mental support. Jean XM Chen, counsellor and director at Relationship Matters, explains that such support is a form of care: “It can be a comfort after a day of hard work, an affirmation for good work, an encouragement for down times and a shelter for difficult times.”
Alliance Counselling psychologist Cristina Gonzalez says that emotional support includes many aspects such as validation, acceptance, care and empathy.
“In a good relationship, both partners feel that the other is a good source of support,” she adds. “When we show support to our partner in any of the above different ways, we build bonding; we are making the other feel that he or she is safe in the relationship. We create a space where both partners are accepted. In this safe space, we can be ourselves with all our strengths and weaknesses. Feeling emotionally supported decreases fears and brings an opportunity to grow as a person, becoming a better version of ourselves.”
Here are some ways you and your partner can show support.
Source: Her World