My husband and I share a lot of common interests, but we also have key differences in our dispositions and mood cycles.
Although I sometimes get depressive episodes, my husband is up and down all of the time.
He was almost diagnosed with bi-polar disorder at one point, but the physician explained it would be a mild case at most. Whether or not he should take medicine for his mood cycles is dependent on his behavior towards me and others, and so far he has managed to keep himself in check and find healthy coping mechanisms to deal with his stress. This is important, because our relationship wouldn’t last if he couldn’t get this far. I’m going to therapy for my own issues out of a good faith effort to show my husband that I’m ready to meet him halfway on any issues we could be facing as a couple. One thing that I notice my husband struggling with is his sensitivity to sound. He loves music, but sudden loud noises distress him and give him severe anxiety. For instance, my husband is having a hard time sleeping right now because he says that our air conditioner is getting so loud that he can’t feel peace at night. Unfortunately, it’s only eight years old and we don’t have the money to afford another one right now. I asked my husband if there was any chance that he could sleep with ear plugs on, but he didn’t like that idea. After a few weeks of frustration, he finally followed my suggestion and is sleeping the best he has in weeks.