I've been really sick again over the past few days, being stuck in bed for the past 2 of them. I've been getting a little concerned, 'cause I rarely get sick, and now I've been sick almost regularly, for the past few months. I think it's associated with some stress I'm involved in.

Deidre's been having a few complications at work which have been greatly stressing her out. Each night Deidre's been coming home, expressing more and more of her daily stress. She's been exceptionally happy that I've been her 'rock', the person that supports her, that she can lean on when she needs to, that provides stability in her life.

However, it's become obvious to me that the stress she's going through, that I've become part of due to her sharing it with me, has been having an effect on me that's ended up with me getting sick.

So today, after having recovered from my latest illness which had me feverish last night, I've been talking to her about how her experiences have been affecting me. Being the 'rock' for her has meant I've been keeping most of my own frustrations bottled up, feelings that I don't want to bother her with them since she has so much to deal with already.

We're going to start talking to each other more, rather than her just talking to me. I think that'll be quite helpful for me, and maybe to her as well, allowing her to understand how her shared experiences are affecting me too.

It's all a learning process as we go through stress together, understanding each other more as a result, and finding ways of dealling with it together. And maybe I'll get sick less in future.