When you’re in a relationship, it’s important that you enjoy spending time with your partner. After all, if you don’t like being together, then what’s the point? But even in a healthy relationship, spending some time apart is just as important.
Unfortunately, today’s story is about a husband who doesn’t understand this basic relationship advice. He wants to be in contact with his wife almost 24/7, and it’s driving her crazy. She feels emotionally drained because she runs out of things to say, yet he keeps pushing for more conversation.
This kind of behavior shows a lack of emotional space and relationship boundaries, which are both key to building strong, lasting love. Without these, even the best couples can face serious communication issues.
Sounds exhausting, right?
Image credits: Artem Podrez (not the actual photo)
A woman’s husband has to drive a long way to work, and the whole time, he loves talking to her on the phone
Image credits: engin akyurt (not the actual photo)
What’s even worse, every time the woman wants to do something else besides talking to her husband, he starts guilt-tripping her, saying that they have nothing to talk about
Every week, the original poster’s (OP’s) husband, who she has been married to for 8 years, drives hundreds of miles for work. Since these long drives take hours, he looks for ways to keep himself entertained. Many people would choose audiobooks, podcasts, music, or brain games. These are healthy ways to pass time and stay mentally active.
But not this husband.
Instead, he prefers to talk to his wife the entire time he’s on the road. While that may seem sweet at first, his drives are very long sometimes over 5 hours and he expects her to talk with him the whole time.
Now imagine this: you already live together, and now you’re expected to chat for 5+ hours straight while he’s driving. It’s no surprise that the wife is running out of things to say. When you spend so much time communicating non-stop, there’s just not enough new stuff happening to actually discuss.
This constant pressure to talk endlessly is leading to emotional burnout for the wife. And the worst part? This isn’t just a one-time thing. These calls happen every single week.
When she tries to bring it up and set relationship boundaries, her husband responds with guilt trips, saying things like “We’re just another couple who has nothing to talk about.” This only adds more relationship stress and makes her feel even worse.
Here’s the truth: being in a healthy marriage doesn’t mean talking 24/7. Sometimes, just enjoying peaceful company is more than enough. Spending time apart is good it gives both partners a chance to recharge emotionally and grow as individuals.
Relying only on your partner for all your emotional and mental needs is a sign of a codependent relationship, which can be toxic in the long run. Real love includes trust, respect, personal space, and time to reflect.
Image credits: Zohre Nemati (not the actual photo)
Chenglu Ding, M.S.Ed., M.Phil.Ed., a licensed therapist at A Better Life Therapy, explained that a codependent relationship is one where one partner has to ignore or shrink their own needs just to avoid conflict. She put it simply: “It crosses a boundary where the balance of care and responsibility becomes one-sided and emotionally draining.”
We don’t want to assume too much about someone else’s marriage, but based on how the original poster (OP) describes her situation, it does seem like a case of emotional codependency. Her husband wants to stay in constant contact, mostly because she’s the only person he really connects with. When she tries to take a break or set limits, he reacts badly.
According to the expert, this kind of behavior may point to something deeper, called enmeshment. That’s when two people become so emotionally tangled that they almost lose their sense of self. It stops being a healthy connection and starts looking like emotional overload.
And yes, this dynamic can be very damaging.
Chenglu Ding says that people stuck in this type of relationship often face serious mental health challenges, such as:
- Excessive worry and anxiety about their partner’s feelings or problems
- Depression and emptiness from putting their own life on hold
- Resentment and anger from feeling ignored or unappreciated
These feelings don’t just stay in the relationship they can grow into a loss of identity, making it hard to function in other parts of life. Ding warns: “Codependency can make it difficult for individuals to form healthy, reciprocal relationships where they feel seen and valued as themselves.”
In this case, the OP is clearly at her breaking point enough to vent online. Many people in the comments agreed: she needs to set emotional boundaries and protect her mental health. A relationship should be about mutual support, not just one person’s constant emotional needs.
Marriage is a partnership, not a one-way street. For it to thrive, both partners must feel heard, respected, and allowed to be themselves even if that means spending a little time apart.
Netizens pointed out that the woman needs to set boundaries as soon as possible, since the situation is far from healthy and will only get worse if it continues
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