How do I stop obsessing over infidelity?

5 Ideas for Overcoming Your Obsession With Your Husband's Affair
  1. Give your heart time to forgive and heal. ...
  2. Don't let the time you invested in your marriage dictate your future. ...
  3. Take good care of your body and mind. ...
  4. Reconnect with yourself emotionally and spiritually. ...
  5. Find something beyond yourself to believe in.


How do I stop intrusive thoughts of infidelity?

Let them talk and be upset. Try to feel their pain without blaming them for what you've done. Having someone who will accept them at their worst communicates that you are safe and that you love them. Try to be present as they talk and try to stay in a mindset of concern and compassion.

Does infidelity pain ever go away?

Research shows it takes about eighteen months to two years to heal from the pain of your partner's infidelity. Knowing that the pain isn't going away overnight can be helpful, and knowing that it will eventually end is also valuable in the healing process.

Can you truly love someone and cheat on them?

In reality, happy people in fulfilling relationships go out and cheat all the time. Whether you believe that someone can love their partner in the moment of infidelity or not, it's difficult to argue that there was never any love in a relationship just because someone cheated.

What should you not do after infidelity?

The 7 Deadly Sins: What Not To Do After an Affair
  • Tell Your Entire Family & All Your Friends.
  • Make Life Altering Decisions.
  • Obsess Over the Other Affair Partner.
  • Blame Yourself.


After the Affair: How to Stop Obsessing Over the Details



How do I get past infidelity triggers?

How to Deal With Memories of an Affair as a Betrayed Spouse
  1. Be present. Practice simple acts of working to stay in the moment. ...
  2. Journal. Write down things that you are thinking and feeling. ...
  3. Anticipate triggers. ...
  4. Ride the wave. ...
  5. Be kind to your self. ...
  6. Don't bring others in to it. ...
  7. See a therapist or counselor.


What is infidelity PTSD?

Infidelity can be traumatic, causing intensely painful emotions for the person who was cheated on. They may actually experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including heightened anxiety, intrusive thoughts, and emotional distress.

When should you not forgive a cheating spouse?

When to Walk Away After Infidelity: 7 Signs It Might Be Time To...
  • Your Partner Doesn't Apologize. ...
  • Your Spouse Doesn't Want to Get Counseling. ...
  • Your Partner Doesn't Show Desire to Put in the Work. ...
  • They are Still in Touch with the Person They Cheated on You With. ...
  • Your Partner Doesn't Seem Committed to the Relationship.


What does cheating do to the brain?

Grief, brain changes, behaviors down the road, and mental health conditions such as anxiety, chronic stress, and depression can result. Some families have been able to move past infidelity with time and therapy. To move on, this takes active work on both partners to work on the root cause of the infidelity.

Is being cheated on considered trauma?

The partner who has been betrayed is emotionally tortured and humiliated when knowledge of the infidelity emerges. They are clearly in trauma and experience the same array of symptoms that professionals now describe as post-traumatic stress disorder.

What does cheating say about a person?

They lack respect towards others.

Besides a lack of self-esteem, a cheater lacks respect towards others. The two are closely related. After all, if someone doesn't even respect themselves, how can they respect other people? A cheater engages in unethical behavior that hurts their partner by being unfaithful.

What are the stages of healing from infidelity?

Affair Recovery: 5 Steps to Repairing Your Relationship
  • Apologies and Forgiveness. Before you can move forward, both people need to make the choice to remain in the relationship and work through things. ...
  • Commitment and Communication. ...
  • Mourning the Affair. ...
  • 4. Awakening and Rebuilding Trust. ...
  • Reconnection and Acceptance.


What are cheaters afraid of?

They Might Fear Conflict

“People cheat often out of fear of facing conflict,” explains Klapow. “They know there are problems in the relationship, but they don't know how to dive in deep with their partner to [fix the problems]. Cheating allows them to escape.”

What personality traits do cheaters have?

The unfaithful personality

There are consistent associations between infidelity and each of the Big 5 traits. For example, people who cheat in romantic relationships score higher on Neuroticism, Openness to Experience, and Extraversion. They score lower on Agreeableness and Conscientiousness.

Why do people cheat on people they love?

People can cheat on someone they love due to neglect, commitment or self-esteem issues, lack of intimacy, or even revenge. A person who cheated once will likely cheat again, but this is not true for everyone. Infidelity doesn't signify the end of a relationship; a couple can repair their relationship after an affair.

What are the warning signs of a cheater?

Signs Your Spouse Could Be Cheating
  • Changes in Communication.
  • Appearance and Hobbies.
  • Attitude Changes.
  • Lying and Avoidance.
  • Indifference.
  • Changes in Your Sex Life.
  • Money Issues.
  • A Change in Technology Use.


How long does depression last after infidelity?

6 months: Anywhere between 3-6 months is a good time to start dealing with the core of the affair. It is a grieving period, and it may also be a time of heavy discussion or arguing between spouses. But, it's important to start understanding the root of the problems that caused one spouse to cheat.

How long does Betrayal Trauma last?

Recovering from betrayal trauma is not something that can be done in a day or two. On average, it usually takes between eighteen months to three years to absolutely recover, especially with a lot of help and moral support.

What percentage of married couples stay after infidelity?

“In general, more than half the relationships (55 percent) ended immediately after one partner admits to cheating, with 30 percent deciding to stay together but breaking up eventually, and only 15 percent of couples able to successfully recover from infidelity,” says Leo.

How common is cheating in marriage?

According to the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, national surveys indicate that 15 percent of married women and 25 percent of married men have had extramarital affairs. The incidence is about 20 percent higher when emotional and sexual relationships without intercourse are included.

What kind of cheating is unforgivable?

Unforgivable: Cheating That Involves Deceit

As Dr. Odessky says, "Cheating that requires major attempts at coverups is more damaging to the relationship because it is emotionally abusive to the partner to deny their reality that something is amiss. This type of betrayal is the most damaging and difficult to get over."

How does a husband feel after cheating on his wife?

Among men, 68% feel guilty after having an affair. Even if they haven't confessed the affair, most cheating husbands will feel guilty and express that guilt in their behavior. You may notice subtle changes in their behavior that make you wonder if your spouse is displaying cheating husband guilt.

Can a relationship go back to normal after cheating?

Experts say it's possible for couples to go on to have a happy relationship after infidelity, provided they're willing to put in the work. “The couple can survive and grow after an affair,” says Coleman. “They have to—otherwise the relationship will never be gratifying.”

What one thing do all cheaters have in common?

Serial cheaters always claim that their partners can't understand them, which results in them finding it somewhere else. The reason behind this is because they don't speak up about the things they don't like in the relationship. Serial cheaters do not take responsibility for their own unhappiness.

Why did I cheat on my wife when I love her?

"It's an obsession," Fisher said in TED Talk called "Why we love, why we cheat." What's going on biologically, though, is far less romantic, and it explains why we sometimes cheat on those we love. Romantic love is essentially just elevated activity of the reward hormone dopamine in the brain.

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