5 Ways Infidelity Can Impact a Marriage

Infidelity can be devastating to marriage. Couples can have difficulty having a healthy relationship after cheating has occurred. This is because infidelity can inflict emotional, physical, and mental damage to the victim. Additionally, suppose a person is unrepentant or blames the other for the infidelity. In that case, it can cause additional problems because the victim may feel misplaced shame or guilt due to what happened.

Infidelity’s Impact on a Marriage

Although infidelity can be a deal breaker in a marriage, it doesn’t always have to be. However, infidelity can impact many areas of marriage. Here are five areas in which infidelity can affect a marriage:

Finances

One way infidelity can impact your marriage is the strain that financial issues can have if the marriage ends. If one spouse is the primary breadwinner and helps provide for the other spouse, the other spouse may find that they need to get a job quickly. However, if they’ve been out of the workforce due to having children or lacking skills, they may find it challenging to find a well-paying job that will help meet their needs like their partner did.

Additionally, an unfaithful person may become bitter because the relationship ended. Because of the shame and guilt they feel about what they did, they may hesitate to want to provide financial compensation to the other spouse. The spouse who is caring for the children may find themselves struggling because the other person who was unfaithful doesn’t want to pay them because they feel they may not be responsible for the termination of their relationship.

A spouse who struggles to make ends meet after infidelity may need the help and support of family and friends. They may also need the help and support of people who can come and help them get back on their feet. The person struggling may need to get two jobs to make ends meet, which can cause a financial strain on a relationship that’s already broken by infidelity.

Health

The victim of infidelity may find their health is profoundly impacted. Because of the stress that unfaithfulness causes, the person may find they are struggling with chronic pain. They may get headaches all the time or develop mental health issues such as anxiety or depression because of their spouse’s infidelity. People may also develop stomach issues because they are constantly worried about what will happen if they enter their home with the offender present.

That person may become more skittish about being in the same room with that person because more negative news may come their way. A person may feel worthless or unworthy of love because their spouse was unfaithful. These feelings that are bottled up can cause a host of issues, such as inflammation that, when left unchecked, can cause more severe health issues like diabetes, stroke, and heart attack.

A person dealing with infidelity may have to deal with more severe issues, such as high blood pressure and cholesterol because they are not eating properly. A person may drown their sorrows in alcohol or overeat to numb their pain. When a person feels like a failure, it is tempting to go to food to comfort themselves in their time of need.

However, reaching for junk food during a time of difficulty is not the answer to solving their problems. It is more critical for them to choose healthy food to give their bodies the nutrients they need to get a good night’s rest and continue the journey toward forgiveness and healing.

Emotional Wellbeing

Infidelity often impacts a person’s emotional well-being. Someone who has been the victim of betrayal may have difficulty trusting that person and any future relationships. Because of the lack of trust, they may be unable to engage in healthy relationships.

They may show distrust toward anyone who shows any affection toward them. Because emotions stem from a person’s thoughts, a person who is dealing with the mental issues associated with the betrayal may also develop emotional problems as a result.

A person who has been the victim of infidelity may also find they have other emotional issues like crying outbursts and bits of anger that are being projected onto the offender. Still, they may also inflict it onto other people who are not at fault. This can strain relationships because the person with the pain of betrayal realizes they are inflicting their unprocessed anger and grief on others.

Some people stifle their feelings and continue life as if the situation never existed. However, the sting of infidelity may haunt someone for the rest of their lives. The betrayal of having someone in a relationship with someone else who is not you can bring unwanted feelings of rejection and pain that could only be filled by God.

Children

Children are also impacted by infidelity. Parents often try to process their pain and, in so doing, have arguments and unwanted conflict. This affects children as they don’t want to hear parents screaming and yelling at each other all the time.

They may not fully understand what’s happening or may place that on themselves. Children may think it’s their fault that their parents are fighting. They will do their best to improve their behavior so the fighting stops, but if it doesn’t, it just adds to more confusion and pain.

Children belong in safe environments where they are allowed to express themselves, and parents can regulate their emotions so that they can grow up in a thriving environment. If one spouse has been unfaithful to the other, it is not fair for the children to have to deal with the brunt of that. Ensure that children get professional help to navigate this difficult season in life.

Healthy Future Relationships

Whether a person forgives someone else for their betrayal or not, it is difficult for them to engage in healthy future relationships. Whether with another romantic interest, friends, or other family, a person always feels like a failure when they have received the sting of betrayal. Even if it’s not their fault that the infidelity occurred, people still feel like they’ve lost their lives because of that.

For victims of infidelity to have healthy future relationships, they must learn to trust again. This is a process. They may need to enlist the help of a professional to help them deal with the pain infidelity causes and help them figure out how to discern who they can trust and who not to trust. Trust is essential in any healthy relationship. Any relationship is unhealthy if a person does not trust the other.

People in these situations should be open and honest with their friends and family about what has occurred. This will help friends and family to understand when the betrayal victim becomes moody or angry at them for no reason. A person who snaps at them or is overly angry will confuse those with no idea what’s happening.

If a person becomes excessively angry without informing the other person beforehand, it will strain relationships. It will damage not only the marriage because someone was unfaithful but also any future relationships.

Infidelity in any form can be challenging to navigate. Hurt, pain, and betrayal are also results of infidelity. However, when two people want to work on it and make their relationship work, it is possible to get past the trauma of infidelity.

Understanding that these, as well as other areas of marriage, can be deeply impacted, it is wise to seek the help of someone who can help you process through all these five areas and rebuild the relationship in the future. Contact our office today to meet with me or one of the Christian therapists in your area.