Depressed Housewife (A Comprehensive Overview)

In this blog post, we will be discussing the topic: depressed housewife. We will explore the various reasons for causing depression in housewives and certain ways to overcome such depression. We will also be answering some frequently asked questions about housewives, their mental health, and overall well-being

Depressed housewife

Here are some of the most daunting complaints housewives usually come up with that makes them unhappy and frustrated:

Discrepancies in the division of chores. This leads to the women of the house doing most of the household chores, leaving them tired and mentally agitated.
Reduced and disinterested interaction with the kids. This is another major complaint about men. They spent very little time with the kids and what they’ve got to say which ends up making them dependent on the mother for all their needs.
Increased time spent on video games and other leisure activities. This could be video games, social media, outings with friends, or any other kind of extra-curricular activity. This becomes a problem when the time spent is too much at the expense of spending less time with family.
Arguments of a similar kind on a persistent basis. When arguments and disagreements emerge on the same issue over and over again, it leads to irritability and anger.
Lack of appreciation is another serious problem that bothers housewives. It makes them feel belittled, unvalued, and agitated.
Workaholic husbands are also a major concern for housewives as it leaves very little time for them to spend with their husbands and have some quality moments with them.
Mismatched sex drive is another trigger that kills the spark of any relationship. It leads to sexual frustration, budding insecurities, and distance between the partners physically and mentally.

Why are housewives depressed?

Being a housewife is a tiresome and frustrating job. It includes several full-time jobs put together. This includes being a cook, maid, household finance manager, and nanny among others. All this comes with the disadvantage of having no pay and not much appreciated as well. Housewives usually do not get much recognition when compared to working women.

There are also certain other reasons which contribute towards depression among housewives:

Lack of power play in the marriage and in making important decisions in the family
Not being able to contribute to the financial framework of the household.
Not being able to express their competency, creativity, and talents at workplaces
Not having opportunities to experience the challenges and satisfaction of a successful career life
Lack of intellectual challenges and activities
Not receiving the deserving amount of respect and appreciation from other family members and society.
Getting stuck in a mundane and boring routine mostly involving household chores.

The identity crisis aspect

Most housewives face the problem of an identity crisis when they find themselves spending most of their time at home, looking after the family and the household chores alone. This brings about feelings of emptiness, frustration, and exhaustion in the lives of these women. It makes them question their validity and position in the family as well as society.

Being a housewife, sometimes, makes them feel alienated and lost. As compared to working women who gain a sense of purpose and identity through their job, housewives do not receive access to both of these and thus ends up feeling dejected and depressed. It gives rise to feelings of worthlessness, aimlessness, and hopelessness.

Ways to deal

Take care of your health

Spent ample time indulging in taking care of your body and mind. Keep some “me time” where you create space and schedule for enriching your body and mind needs. Make yourself your favorite meal, start with your personalized yoga routine, or read your most adored book. Take out time for yourself and keep away everything else during this time.

Reduce screen time

Watching too much television or spending excessive time and energy on social media is not healthy in any way. It leads to rotting of your mind and makes you feel tired and bored after a point. It also dulls your creativity and leaves no room for novelty and spontaneity. All of this will eventually lead to increased frustration and anxiety.

Make a flexible schedule

Take out some time and put your efforts into making a personalized schedule for incorporating your routine in a fun and different ways. This helps in driving away monotony and inefficiently getting your work done.

Conclusion

In this article, we discussed the topic: depressed housewife. We saw the various reasons that led to housewives being unhappy, which contributes to depression among housewives, and certain techniques to overcome the blues.

If you’ve enjoyed the Depressed housewife mentioned above, I would recommend you to take a look at Childless stepmother depression too.

FAQs: depressed housewife

Are housewives happier?

Studies have been able to find out the fact that housewives are happier than those who go out for work. It was revealed that staying at home with kids and looking after them was opted as a happier job than going out for other kinds of professions and jobs. Though homemakers are happy with their roles, they have to work double the amount as compared to women who go out for work. Surveys also showed that two-thirds of mothers who went out to work preferred to stay home and look after their children.

What are the disadvantages of being a housewife?

There are several disadvantages of being a housewife over a working woman. Some of them are as follows:
The biggest disadvantage is the lack of money that affects the housewife. A working woman has the liberty to do what she wishes as she will be earning an ample amount of money and does not face any problems in spending for her expenses. However, this is not the case with a housewife. A housewife does not have any source of income and hence has to depend on other family members who are earning, for their source of income.
There is an evident lack of recognition for housewives as they do not hold any other positions other than homemaker. They are not exposed to the outside world of work where they will be able to meet new people, have new experiences, and express their talents and creativity freely. This lack of recognition gradually turns into persistent frustration and hostility, over time.
There is no source of supplementary or other forms of income for housewives. This will highly affect them as the cost of living is higher now and the needs and wants of members in a family are ever-increasing. Especially the kids who come with lots of needs in terms of education and other extra-curricular activities. This becomes a difficult scenario when only one person in the family is earning properly.
There is the issue of routine for most housewives. From the start of the day till the end, they get caught up in a mundane and tiresome routine with no time to relax or unwind. They get very little time for themselves and rarely get exposed to the outside world. Vulnerabilities and insecurities increase as a result of this.
There is the element of risk which is involved if a woman was supposed to be the breadwinner of her whole family and ended up being a housewife. In this case, the family will have to face the consequences and difficulties of having to work and earn for the other members. This can be avoided only if the woman decides to go outside and earn.

What to do when your wife says she’s unhappy?

If your wife complains about being unhappy and tired, you can try out the following ways listed out below:
Sit with her, listen to her, and show that you care for her feelings
Affirm and validate her situation and her justifications
Be ready to provide her enough time and space to help her process her thoughts and feelings, and to help her sort them out.
Focus on your own ental, physical, and spiritual health and make sure you are in a healthy state to help your wife with her issues.
Along with helping your wife get through her tough phases, bear in mind that you alone are not responsible for her happiness. Keep your boundaries intact and communicate honestly with her about your thoughts as well.
Opt for honest, mutual, and attentive communication while helping out your wife resolve her issues. Try to identify the underlying issues and reflect on them for a better understanding of the pattern of the problem.
Share small moments of joy, intimacy, and creativity with your wife. Spent time with her and make small arrangements for both of you to have fun together. Plan for outings, mutually-shared interests, and activities, and some exclusive time together. This helps in rekindling the relationship and making your wife feel better and happier.

How do I know if my wife is unhappy?

Here are some of the warning signs that indicate that your wife might be going through a rough phase:

Negative statements being constantly used in conversations
Making very less effort to communicate and interact with family members
Never attempt to get personal and intimate
Your wife appears to be happier without you
She stonewalls you
She seems disinterested in going out and involving in fun activities with you
She becomes detached gradually and starts to show discomfort in sharing her troubles with you
She stops talking about her feelings, thoughts, dreams, and ambitions.
She stops caring about clearing misunderstandings and expressing her viewpoints to you.

References

https://www.marriage.com/advice/save-your-marriage/signs-your-wife-is-unhappy/References

https://www.datalounge.com/thread/10960612-why-are-housewives-so-miserable-

http://yourdost.com/blog/2016/06/frustrated-houewife.html

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Depressed housewife (A comprehensive overview)