You’ve dreamed of your wedding for so long and now it’s time to actually plan the big day. You thought it would be exciting and romantic making the biggest day of your life a dream come true. But instead of feeling overjoyed with the wedding planning process, you’re left feeling anxious. Add in the fact you’re now feeling guilty for your feelings and so depression is creeping in, too. What’s happening? Unfortunately, the stress of wedding planning can negatively impact your mental health. There are ways to ease the anxiety and help your mental health while planning your wedding.
So many of us go into wedding planning thinking it’s going to be one of the most exciting times of our lives. It can, however, be one of the most stressful times in our lives. We can be left feeling sad and/or depressed that something must be horribly wrong with us not to enjoy this wonderful time.
Why Wedding Planning Impacts Mental Health
Weddings are increasingly expensive. It can be easy to fall into a comparison trap of comparing other wedding’s to your own. It’s easy to overspend on weddings which leads to more stress in your life and your relationship.
Wedding planning brings families together. And when families come together, there is a chance that family dynamics will play out in stressful, unproductive ways. With divorces, marriages, and ongoing conflicts, bringing family groups together can cause a burden on the bride and groom.
Dating is fun and freeing. You are two people who can make their own decisions. But when you agree to marry, you are agreeing to make decisions together. And wedding planning is full of decisions. Conflict can arise when those decisions aren’t easy to make as a couple, or when those decisions are being made with the “help” of family.
The guest list is another source of contention when it comes to planning a wedding. Both sides of the family may want input on who comes and who doesn’t, and pretty soon you may be asking “Is this even worth it?”
The joy you had expected to feel now feels like unwanted and unneeded stress.
Helping Your Mental Health While Wedding Planning
Anxiety and depression are not uncommon during wedding planning but it isn’t talked about. Stress and worry may come and go as you plan the wedding and think about the day itself. It’s important to focus on your mental health while you are planning your wedding.
Communicate for Improved Mental Health
Learning to communicate is always important. Wedding planning is a perfect time to really focus on your communication skills with your fiance and family members. If you are feeling stressed, talk about it. If you have decisions to make, talk about them. Communication is paramount in every healthy relationship.
Self-care
Don’t forget about you while planning your wedding. It’s important to not let all other aspects of your life fall to the side. Prioritize healthy eating habits, sleeping, exercising, relaxation, and time with friends/family/fiance. Your life shouldn’t be “all about the wedding.”
Focus on the Marriage, not the Party
So many times the wedding gets bigger than the couple. Go into wedding planning with a practical mindset. The wedding is one day (yes it’s an important day, but it’s one day). Your marriage is a lifetime. Go into wedding planning with a calm, practical mindset that focuses on the union of two people.
If you enter wedding planning with a practical mindset, it will be easier to avoid the pitfalls of overspending, over-stressing, and comparing your wedding day to what you see on social media.
When you focus on a healthy, couple focused mindset, you can enjoy the moments leading up to and through the wedding. When the wedding day is the not the star of the show, you can focus on your relationship and building a life with someone you love and who loves you in return.
Couples Counseling in Washington, PA
If you focus on your relationship and marriage, and not your wedding, you’ll be able to minimize your stress levels and enjoy all the little moments. While wedding planning stress is very real, you can minimize your anxiety levels so you can better enjoy this new aspect of your life and life together with someone you love.
A healthy relationship takes work. It may not always be perfect, but you should feel safe, trusted, heard, uplifted, encouraged, close, supported and happy. If you are feeling anxious or depressed while planning your wedding, talking helps. Couples counseling isn’t just for married couples. Whether you’re dating or engaged, counseling can help you find ways to resolve conflict and help you feel closer to your partner again.
If you have any questions or would like to get to know us little better, please call (724) 503-6670 or email us at admin@inthenowcounseling.org. You can also find us on Instagram and Facebook.
