My spouse is constantly overwhelmed. How do I support them but also set boundaries?

Supporting an overwhelmed spouse while maintaining healthy boundaries requires honest communication about what you can and cannot sustain long term. Start by having a calm conversation about what's contributing to their overwhelm and how you might work together to address root causes rather than just managing symptoms.

Offer specific, sustainable help rather than taking on everything yourself. You might permanently take over certain responsibilities, but you also need to discuss whether some activities or commitments need to be eliminated entirely. It's loving to help carry the load, but it's not loving to enable patterns that keep your spouse perpetually overwhelmed.

Boundary Setting Strategies:

• Address root causes of overwhelm, not just the symptoms.

• Offer specific, sustainable help that you can maintain long term.

• Work together to eliminate unnecessary commitments or activities from your schedule.

• Set limits on crisis management and encourage proactive planning instead.

• Take care of your own emotional and physical health: you can't pour from an empty cup.

• Seek outside help or professional resources when the situation exceeds your capacity.

Key Takeaways:

• Sustainable support requires addressing causes, not just symptoms.

• Healthy boundaries actually help your spouse learn better coping strategies.

• You can't help effectively if you become overwhelmed yourself.

• Sometimes eliminating commitments is necessary, not just managing them better.

To learn more about boundaries in marriage and why every marriage needs them, register for my free Boundaries Webinar.