You're doing great! From what you've told me about your family situation, I can really relate to how you're feeling. I can also see how you're looking for ways to change and grow through learning about psychology. Here are my thoughts and suggestions:
1. I'm so sorry to hear about your family.
It's so sad to see a couple who don't communicate with each other. Your husband often says that you are wrong, which must be so hurtful for you. You use self-comfort and self-regulation to keep it from affecting your mood, while at the same time disagreeing with what your husband says and not wanting to change yourself. You have transferred more of your feelings to your children, taking care of and managing them in their daily lives and studies.
It's totally understandable that you feel uncomfortable in this family atmosphere. You're trying to ease your relationship with your husband by joking around, but it doesn't seem to be working. I can imagine how disappointed you must feel.
2. I'd love to know what your husband's state of mind is like.
I truly believe that your marriage wasn't like this at the beginning. I'm sure you had happy and wonderful times! But, as with all couples, you and your husband have different experiences and differences in the habits of your respective families of origin. I'm sure your husband doesn't approve of some of your actions and brings them up (perhaps the way he brings them up makes you feel that he is picking on you). When he finds that bringing them up again and again has no effect and he does not see any changes in you, he gradually becomes disappointed.
Since it didn't work, I stopped doing it, but just because I stopped doesn't mean I approve of it. I'm sure you can relate to how his inner dissatisfaction and disappointment turned into apathy.
3. Do you think what you're doing will help you achieve the state you desire?
What you want is a happy, healthy family and a harmonious relationship with your spouse. What you do is: I regulate myself when my husband picks on me, and I increase my ability to regulate myself by learning about psychology.
First of all, the relationship between husband and wife is the most important one in the family. If the relationship isn't harmonious, it'll be hard for the family as a whole to feel good. This can really affect a child's physical and mental development and even their character. So, it's really important to focus on improving your relationship as a couple if you want your child to grow up happy and healthy.
Secondly, learning about psychology might help you to regulate your emotions, but it won't necessarily solve the root problem. The best thing you can do is to find out what's causing the disharmony in your relationship and then change it from the root.
I know it can be tricky, but it's really helpful to think about what you're trying to achieve. For example, if you have a fever, you don't just take an antipyretic, you also try to find the cause of the fever.
4. I know you want to achieve your goals, and I'm here to help! Here are some suggestions that I think you'll find helpful:
The first thing to think about is your husband's demands. Let's think about this together: if your husband is still saying that you are wrong about this and that, it means that he still has some expectations for your change. If one day he stops saying anything, it means that he has actually given up hope completely.
Let's think about it another way. When my husband says something to me, I don't see it as him picking on me. I see it as a request. If I smile and say, "Okay, honey, I'll stop doing that and do it your way, but I've already gotten used to it, so give me some time," what do you think my husband's state of mind will be?
Secondly, it seems that you and your husband don't always communicate in the best way. Joking with your husband and communicating with him while looking at your phone shows that this is not the right way to communicate. Think of it like two computers sending messages to each other. At least you need to make sure that the two computers are connected to the internet. You and your husband have not established the basic connection for communication, so no matter what you joke about or communicate, the other computer simply will not accept it.
It's really important to pay attention to what he cares about, let him know that what he cares about is valued, and then start to build a connection. This is more important than reading as many psychology books as you can! Once you've established a connection, it's just a matter of communication skills.
Third, take some time for yourself to figure out what you truly want in your heart and what matters most to you. You mentioned that you want your children to be healthy and your marriage to be harmonious. Would you be open to seeing your husband's words as misunderstandings rather than mistakes? And would you be willing to say with a smile that you can make improvements, even if it's just in your mentality and attitude?
These are the two ends of the scale. Just ask yourself which one you really want. The latter is actually your self-awareness: why do you always say, "I'm wrong, but I still feel very right?"
I'm not sure if you also show this kind of "defending" behavior in other relationships, besides your marriage.
Finally, I just want to say that your current relationship might be a little bit dangerous. If I were to say, hypothetically, that you don't have children, what would you choose? It takes effort from both sides to change this relationship, but one party needs to show a gesture first.
If two people pull the ends of a rope in opposite directions, the rope will be taut and will break at a certain point. If you don't want the rope to break, at least one of the people has to stop pulling. I know it can be tough, but I'm here to support you!
I'd love to know if you're willing to stop pulling the rope for what you want?
I just wanted to share my thoughts with you, in the hope that they'll be helpful or inspiring for you in some way.
Comments
I can relate to feeling stuck in a difficult situation. It sounds like you're carrying a heavy burden with your husband's behavior and the strain it puts on your family. It must be incredibly challenging.
It seems like communication has broken down, and that can make everything feel so much harder. I wonder if seeking help from a counselor could open up new ways for both of you to talk and listen.
You're trying so hard to keep things together and even taking steps to understand your feelings better through books. That takes a lot of strength. Maybe finding a support group could also offer some relief and advice.
It's tough when someone we care about doesn't seem to care back or is dismissive. I admire your willingness to work on yourself and your relationship. Sometimes, though, it's important to consider what's best for your own wellbeing too.
Reading and learning about psychology is a great way to gain insight into your emotions. Have you thought about focusing on specific areas like emotional resilience or effective communication strategies?