If your wife won't touch you, maybe something has changed. She may be experiencing depression or a lack of self-confidence, or maybe she feels like she's failing at this parenting thing. Even if it is difficult, do everything you can to put yourself in her shoes.
If your wife avoids intimacy, one of the reasons could be that you broke a promise or betrayed her. If you want to fill your relationship with the same charm and attraction, then try to look for the mistakes you made in the past. Apologize to her, and win her trust back.
What does it mean when your wife doesn't show affection?
There's been a loss of respect or trust
If your wife feels distant and has stopped being affectionate with you, there has likely been some lapse in respect or trust that has left her with resentment toward you. Intentional or not, women often use physical neglect as a punishment for something that displeased them.
People who don't get their dose of affectionate touch seem less happy, more lonely, and have a higher likelihood of suffering from depression, mood and anxiety disorders, as well as secondary immune disorder.
Anxiety, stress, and depression are also common sexless marriage effects on the husband. When a husband is denied sex at home for a long time, his mental health is likely to deteriorate from stress, overthinking, and inability to release the feel-good hormone from sex.
Over time, it can make the partners experience abandonment issues. This can begin a cycle where the abandoned partner can start distancing themselves in turn. Sexual desires and a need for affection and closeness can start to diminish, which does not bode well for the relationship.
There are a few common reasons why couples develop a lack of intimacy. Stress is the most common reason. Stress can come from various sources such as pressure from work, child care, and financial troubles in the family. There are several studies that show the link between stress and a decrease in sex drive.
Lack of sex can lead to mental health issues, especially when the man feels that he cannot perform well in bed and satisfy his wife's sexual needs. This can lead to the psychological effects of sexless marriage. Depression and anxiety can become common consequences of a sexless marriage.
A relationship can survive without intimacy, but it will become a real struggle for both partners as time goes on; neither partner will be happy or feel secure in the relationship. Without happiness and security, the basis of a relationship is complicated.
When a relationship has the intimacy it needs, both parties feel safe and secure. Men especially know they can be vulnerable and open with their partner, express their emotions without fear, engage in physical and emotional intimacy, and be assured their need for space will be respected.
Often, a spouse hides something because they don't feel like they have a safe place to share. Or, they hide something because they are doing something wrong and fear that the truth might hurt you. That being said, the safer you can make the environment, the more likely they are to open up and tell you the truth.
A common sign of cheating would be if your girlfriend shuts down, avoids conflict, or engages in passive aggressive communication. You may find that you are able to catch her in a lie when things she shares “don't add up.”
In many cases, people think their spouse is cheating on them because either they've cheated on someone in the past or are about to. Psychologists say that projection is a low-level coping skill, where people who cheat or think of cheating are likely to project the same thoughts on their partners.
So, for couples who mutually agree to focus on bonding through means other than sex. Their marriage will undoubtedly last for as long as the agreement remains. If, however, one partner decides otherwise, a compromise has to be made for divorce not to become the imminent outcome of such marriage.
A sexless marriage is not a good excuse for cheating. But it can be a valid reason to suggest that you and your partner have an open relationship or break up. Some may not like to hear this but I will say it anyway: the lack of sex in a relationship does not give anyone the right to cheat.
