Nowadays, people are faced with so much stress and pressure that it’s just a matter of time before they start feeling overworked or overwhelmed.

Take this redditor’s husband, for instance. Once a smiley and goofy man, the dad of two, with another baby on the way, became robot-like, making his wife seriously concerned. She turned to the ‘Relationship Advice’ subreddit, seeking advice on how to deal with the situation, sharing that she misses her husband, “not this robotic shell that looks like him.” Scroll down to find the full story in her own words below, where you will also find an update on how the story developed.

Many people are faced with an abundance of responsibilities and a load of pressure on a daily basis

Image credits: imagesourcecurated (not the actual photo)

This woman was concerned about life’s pressures getting to her husband, as he was “becoming a robot”

Image credits: Wavebreakmedia (not the actual photo)

Image credits: throwRA-193837472772

Fellow netizens shared their thoughts on the situation, and some suggested that the husband might be burnt out

Image credits: Prostock-studio (not the actual photo)

The woman shared an update a few days later

Image credits: AnnaStills (not the actual photo)

Image credits: throwRA-193837472772

Parents reportedly experience more stress than their childless counterparts

Feeling the pressure of numerous responsibilities in life is something that many people experience, with or without having kids. But it’s no secret that having children that are dependent on you can make it significantly more overwhelming.

According to last year’s Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Mental Health and Well-Being of Parents, “parents have been consistently more likely to report experiencing high levels of stress compared to other adults.”

The advisory, released in August of 2024, revealed that roughly one-in-three parents reported high levels of stress in the past month compared to 20% of adults without children. The report continued to point out that severe or prolonged stress can have a negative impact on the parents’ well-being, which, consequently, affects the well-being of their children, too.

“Parents have a profound impact on the health of our children and the health of society. Yet parents and caregivers today face tremendous pressures, from familiar stressors such as worrying about their kids’ health and safety and financial concerns, to new challenges like navigating technology and social media, a youth mental health crisis, an epidemic of loneliness that has hit young people the hardest,” Dr. Vivek Murthy, the US Surgeon General, emphasized.

Image credits: imagesourcecurated (not the actual photo)

For many people, the pandemic was a highly stressful time

The youth battling mental health crises and an epidemic of loneliness shows that no one is immune to difficult times or the stresses of life, especially during turbulent times. One of such times was the Covid pandemic, which, judging by the OP’s update, was one of the things that took a toll on her husband.

The expectant dad was worried about bringing a child into a stressful time, which was—and still is—a concern to many. According to a Pew Research Center survey from 2024, 13% of child-free respondents ages 50 and older even cited “concerns about the state of the world” as a reason not to have children at all.

While the first year of the pandemic brought a lot of worry and stress to many all over the world, the second year was seemingly even more stressful. According to Gallup’s Negative Experience Index, in 2021, as much as four-in-ten adults globally were faced with a lot of worry and stress, and roughly a fourth of them experienced sadness (28%) and anger (23%).

Emphasizing just how bad the situation was in 2021, Gallup’s Positive Experience Index dropped (for the first time since 2017), showing that in addition to dealing with all sorts of negative feelings, people experienced less positive things in their everyday lives, too.

Image credits: seventyfourimages (not the actual photo)

Expert suggests that mindful cognitive behavioral therapy can help manage stress

Talking about the stresses of life in a piece for Psychology Today, a licensed psychologist and an expert in mindful cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), Dr. Seth J. Gillihan, noted that many people are overwhelmed by stress nowadays, be it related to the pandemic, war and suffering around the world, people’s financial situation, or the day-to-day demands of being alive. But, according to him, there are ways people can try to manage it all.

Dr. Gillihan shared that when trying to manage stress, he relies on three research-based methods coming from mindful cognitive behavioral therapy (MCBT) that he refers to as “Think Act Be.”

“Think, the cognitive part of MCBT, helps us challenge the thoughts that drive stress. With the Act component, the ‘behavioral’ in MCBT, we lower stress by doing (or not doing) certain activities. And through Be, the mindfulness part of mindful CBT, we practice being in the moment and letting go of resistance to our circumstances,” the expert wrote.

In her update, the OP shared that in order to manage the negative emotions her husband was dealing with, the couple decided to start with a day off for the husband, so he can rest. They also agreed to have a week-long getaway just for the two of them, before the baby was born. The redditor added that after their heartfelt talk, she—for the first time in months—didn’t see a robot; she saw her husband again.

People applauded the way the man’s wife handled the situation

Poll Question

Thanks! Check out the results:

Newsletter

Subscribe to Access
Exclusive Polls

Subscribe

By entering your email and clicking Subscribe, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Privacy Policy.

Thank you! You've successfully subscribed to newsletters!

Anyone can write on Bored Panda. Start writing!

Follow Bored Panda on Google News!

Follow us on Flipboard.com/@boredpanda!