Some people always seem at their best while others may not appear to ever be at their best. But one thing is for sure – when you are exhausted, rarely is your energy high or your mood great. This often is a set-up for the start of a few tense words or even for an argument to begin. While what you may need is sleep, relaxation, or simply some down time, you may, instead, have to gut it out until the end of the day. So, what can you do to maintain an open and healthy relationship even in the face of depletion?
First, do your best not to compete. You have probably experienced saying to your spouse something like, “Work was so tiring today,” only to have them respond with, “Oh, you think you had a tiring day, well let me tell you about mine.” When that happens, you feel invisible and unimportant. What you feel apparently doesn’t matter or, at least, doesn’t rise to the level of your mate’s feelings. Remember, this is not a tiredness competition. You’re in the place of exhaustion together, so help each other out.
Second, give each other lots of grace. When we are tired, it is easy to get irritated with things that normally wouldn’t even be on our radar. Try to let those little things just slide. It is so much easier when you don’t have to come back later and revisit a situation that you need to apologize for.
Finally, get some rest.
While we cannot always be at our best, these are just a few steps that we can take to mitigate problems. Remember – you are both tired but you are still on the same team. Endeavor to have each other’s back – even when you are not at your best.