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Chris_B PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING: 3 important tips to get the most out of this section
  • replies: 0

Hi everyone, The Relationships & Family Issues section is one of the busiest here on our forums. It's also one of the areas where we find members can get themselves into trouble! Before posting here, take a deep breath and be mindful of the following... View more

Hi everyone, The Relationships & Family Issues section is one of the busiest here on our forums. It's also one of the areas where we find members can get themselves into trouble! Before posting here, take a deep breath and be mindful of the following 3 tips: 1. Do you really want to share this with the world? This is a public forum. Are you thinking of posting something that could identify you to a friend or family member? Once you've posted, you can't delete what you've written and we don't take posts down from here unless they've broken one of our community rules. This is because our members spend a lot of time composing replies, and there is a much wider audience that gets a lot out of reading what has been written. It's not fair to ask the community for support, then ask to have it removed once you've read it so others can't also benefit. Use discretion when posting here - think about the level of detail you are sharing, and think also about who might know you are posting here. Also, please keep it clean: this is an all ages forum and explicit discussions about sexual problems are not permitted. Threads and posts of this nature will be removed and your account placed on a moderation hold. 2. What do you want to get out of posting here? Relationship and family issues are stressful. Members sometimes post here seeking advice about a relationship that has broken down, but find themselves getting upset when they don't agree with the response they get. This is a peer support forum, meaning we are not mental health professionals. We are people of all ages and backgrounds, with a wide range of life experiences. While we aim for our discussions to be conducted respectfully, people here will respond with the truth as they see it, from their own experiences and perspectives. We are not here to take sides. Offence is almost never intentional, but it can be sometimes taken. The advice you will see here is not intended to be a substitute for professional counselling. 3. What other support do you have? Most people posting on our forums (about any issue) use this space as a supplement to other supports. This forum is not and cannot be a substitute for offline supports, but it is often a good place to start the ball rolling and find the courage for seeking help. If you are relying solely on an internet forum to resolve your relationship or family issues, you are likely to be disappointed. Check out the Healthy Homes section of our Healthy Families website for further information and resources.

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Fiona86 Don't want to lose everything
  • replies: 1

Hi, I've never really posted anything like this before. I haven't spoken to anyone about this (except my husband) so I'm sorry if this isn't quite what these forums are used for but I'm desperate at the moment. My husband was offered a managerial pos... View more

Hi, I've never really posted anything like this before. I haven't spoken to anyone about this (except my husband) so I'm sorry if this isn't quite what these forums are used for but I'm desperate at the moment. My husband was offered a managerial position with his work and part of the job is that we relocate interstate. At first I was really excited and we were meant to move down there in May, but then Covid happened and it has been postponed until we can move. I voiced my concerns to my husband about not wanting to leave our home, not wanting to leave my family as I don't really have any friends and also not wanting to leave the only job I have ever loved. As my husband has been doing the role since November he was previously flying to his head office and they were handling his transition into the role that way, and although it was a little tricky at first, covid seems to have ironed out all the hard parts of working from home and he has been doing the job this entire time from home and there has been no issues. In fact he's even mentioned a few times himself that others have asked if we are just going to stay here as it is possible to be a manager from here. the more I think about moving, the more I don't want to go. But when I tell my husband he tells me it's too late and we have to go. It took us a really long time to buy our first home and I love this house. My sister has recently had another baby and I definitely don't want to leave her or any of my family for that matter because I am very close to them. I also don't want to leave my job, the people I work with are like a 2nd family to me. But despite all that, my husband still insists we have to go and he won't even consider asking if he could do like a fly in fly out thing where he spends 1 week here and 1 week there. I want to stay together, I want to keep my house, my job and I want to see my niece and nephew grow up before they forget who I am. But he doesn't seem to understand that.If he leaves to go live there and I stay, I will lose the house, my dog & him so I'm having a bit of a crisis about this at the moment and everytime i think about it i burst into tears. I need an outsiders opinion because i feel like a horrible person for not supporting his career but I also am feeling a bit forgotten in all this and like my input does matter.

UncertainlyMe99 Affair with a married man... :/
  • replies: 26

Okay, so this is a really big thing, me writing this. And before I say anything I just want to ask that if you choose to respond, please don't shame me, even though I probably deserve it. I am a 21 year old woman and for a while now I have been havin... View more

Okay, so this is a really big thing, me writing this. And before I say anything I just want to ask that if you choose to respond, please don't shame me, even though I probably deserve it. I am a 21 year old woman and for a while now I have been having relations with a coworker. He is married. No kids. I have been working at this place for over 2 years, and we were such good friends, and were only that, up until a few months ago. I started feeling something when I worked with him (he is actually my boss and is 15 years older), as he started saying things to me which suggested maybe he wanted more. I tried to resist at first as I knew it was wrong and never thought of myself as someone who would ever do something like this. The thing is, we get along so well, and he just loves me for me. I've always had low confidence, low self-esteem, rarely think I'll ever be good enough. And mostly I feel empty and like there isn't anything to look forward to. I never thought someone would ever fancy me and had never been with anyone up to this point. Before anything happened we would hang out a lot after work, sometimes with other workers, but mostly it was mainly just us. We would go and get something to eat, watch movies in the car, or go out and play a game of pool. He has been an amazing part of my life as he is basically the only reason I got my license- as he let me drive his car back home every night after work so I could get my hours up to go for my test. I couldn't drive much with mum as she would stress me out too much, and I don't have anyone else who could have helped me out really. So, usually we would go somewhere, or sometimes we just sat in the car and talked about anything and everything. At this point I never thought anything more of it. I never imagined it to be anything else, he was just a good friend who I knew always made me feel better. He cares deeply about me I know that. And he constantly reassures me of it. I know he wont be leaving his wife, and even if you asked me whether I wanted him to, I can't even really give you an answer. I want him, and maybe even love him... But the whole situation is complicated. We stopped everything for about a week or so, but as I still went to work and saw him all the time, I just couldn't go back to friends. He respected my wishes and tried to resist, but the more he distanced himself, the more I felt like incredibly sad and angry and wanted him back.

Britt86 Unsure of my partners sexuality
  • replies: 4

Hi guys, I'm in some desperate need of advice please. I have been in a relationship with my partner for 5 years and about 2 years ago, I saw a nude photo on my partners phone with a Grindr watermark on it. At the time I wasn't sure what Grindr was so... View more

Hi guys, I'm in some desperate need of advice please. I have been in a relationship with my partner for 5 years and about 2 years ago, I saw a nude photo on my partners phone with a Grindr watermark on it. At the time I wasn't sure what Grindr was so when I looked into it further, I found that he had sent nude photos of himself to guys. As you can imagine I was absolutely heartbroken and I thought that was the end of us. I will never forget the look on his face when he realised what I'd seen. He repeatedly told me that he's not gay and the reason that he sent the photos was to compare his body to other guys to feel better about himself (he's always been self conscious about his body). When I asked why he wouldn't just send photos to girls he said that he's never had luck with girls so the rejection makes him feel worse. Fast forward 2 years and we've bought a house together and I find myself still struggling. Not just with the going behind my back but with the gay thing. It makes it worse because funny enough my sister has just found out that her partner of 3 years is bisexual and attracted to transvestites. When my sister vents to me about her breakup, she always brings my relationship into it and slyly tries to convince me to end my relationship. As of lately, I cannot stop thinking about the potential that he could he gay and I now find myself not wanting to think about the future (marriage, kids, etc). It's so hard because I have major mood swings and some days I feel fine with us and sometimes I can't even look at him. I also become very pursaded by people. If someone tells me I should think a certain way, I do. I'm so confused because I love him so much and I don't want to risk losing him because of my own insecurities. He is so good to me and is always trying to make it up to me because he knows how much the situation hurt me. I would really love to know how I can make piece with what has happened and move on with our relationship. Has anyone ever been in this situation?

elhobe92 My partner sleeps all day except when working
  • replies: 2

Hi everyone. I'm really starting to get hopeless and just don't know what steps to take. I am deeply in love with my partner and we have been in a committed relationship for over 2 years and we have been living together for 18 months. Our biggest rel... View more

Hi everyone. I'm really starting to get hopeless and just don't know what steps to take. I am deeply in love with my partner and we have been in a committed relationship for over 2 years and we have been living together for 18 months. Our biggest relationship problem (if not the only one) is that he sleeps all the time, especially on weekend. As I am writing this, it is 4:45pm and he is still asleep (so he has been in bed for over 18 hours) . This is ruining our relationship - basically because I just feel like I'm single most of the time. He also avoids outings and never organises anything. He does have a history of depression (and PTSD) and has social anxiety. We have completely cut alcohol from our lives because it has given him suicidal thoughts in multiple occasion. He seems to be ok with the fact that he sleeps all day and not care about how I feel or even gets frustrated that I want him to do something other than sleeping. So from his perspective everything is fine. so how do I go about this? I have been thinking about going to see his doctor with or without him to discuss this and see what we can do. My partner is also against couple therapy because he thinks we are fine, so taking him somewhere seems somewhat challenging. This situation is making me feel alone and hopeless and is really starting to weigh on my mental health. Should I step back and perhaps move out and live in a house that feels more alive?

MSSnow Marriage on the rocks and paranoid
  • replies: 3

Hi All its clear that my marriage is on the rocks. We have been together for well over 10 years and have young kids. She has shared with me a number of reasons why she is unhappy and all I can do is try and alleviate these things as I do agree with s... View more

Hi All its clear that my marriage is on the rocks. We have been together for well over 10 years and have young kids. She has shared with me a number of reasons why she is unhappy and all I can do is try and alleviate these things as I do agree with some of them. at the same time I am becoming paranoid about where she is and what she is doing. I perhaps know more than she realises and it’s totally eating me inside but I can’t do anything about it. I try to open the door to allow for the honest answers but I get blatant lies which I can’t call out im really struggling with the likelihood of where this is heading and find myself often quite emotional about it and unable to sleep looking for advice from others who perhaps may have had similar experiences

HurtConfused7 My partner had an affair in his previous marriage...
  • replies: 3

I’ve been with my partner for 1.5yrs and recently found out that he had an affair in his previous marriage, which ultimately ended his marriage and they are now divorced. People make mistakes, people do the wrong things when they are not happy and st... View more

I’ve been with my partner for 1.5yrs and recently found out that he had an affair in his previous marriage, which ultimately ended his marriage and they are now divorced. People make mistakes, people do the wrong things when they are not happy and stressed. So I’m not judging him. He seems very remorseful and embarrassed about his actions. My only issue is that the women he had an affair with he’s still in constant contact, they text everyday. When I first found out I was a little upset and told him that I don’t feel comfortable with him communicating with her and would appreciate if he lets her know that he’s met someone and they can’t communicate anymore (I don’t want him to go completely cold on her but explain what’s going on). It’s been a month and he hasn’t said anything to me so I brought it up. He said hasn’t told her yet, he’s trying to find the words as he doesn’t like upsetting people. I don’t know how I should feel. I personally don’t think it’s healthy for him as he’s still holding onto the past. I’m really don’t know if I’m even allowed to ask him of such actions as he didn’t cheat on me. But I also feel a little sad as he seems he cares more about her feelings than mine. It’s been 4 years since the affair and I know she’s going through her divorce now. I’ve asked him if he still has feelings for her and he said absolutely none at all, he keeps texting her everyday. I would love to hear some advice on the matter. Thanks.

Autumn_ Is this an unhealthy relationship?
  • replies: 12

Hi All, I have a tendency of getting into emotionally abusive relationships and this is something I am currently working through in therapy. I am in a relationship currently which is definitely healthier than my past relationships but lately there ha... View more

Hi All, I have a tendency of getting into emotionally abusive relationships and this is something I am currently working through in therapy. I am in a relationship currently which is definitely healthier than my past relationships but lately there has been some behaviour which I’m unsure whether I should be concerned about. I’m posting this because I have trouble discerning what is acceptable in relationships, so I was hoping to get some insight. 1. he spends all of his free time playing video games. Today he had a bad day, said two words to me, and hopped straight onto his console. 2. Semi-related to the above, he doesn’t help me with any responsibilities around the house. He has lived in my house for about a year now. He works full-time, and I work part-time and study. 3. he jokes about everything. I quite like this, but sometimes the jokes hurt my feelings. I tell him this but he continues to make the same jokes. For example, whenever he proof reads one of my assignments, he always starts by saying “alright, let’s see how much of a mess I have on my hands” but then insists it is a joke. Now that I’m writing this, I feel pretty silly and these things are clearly bad. The issue is, however, all of my close girlfriends have similar complaints about their partners (or worse) so it’s hard to assess what’s normal and what isn’t Thanks in advance for your advice and support I don’t know where I would be without BB!

NJS_1 Friendship troubles
  • replies: 2

Hi, I have two friends who I've been contemplating of removing from my life. Both of them don't support me in some things that I do. One doesn't make any effort of catching up or talking to me at all and when I do try to organise a time she usually s... View more

Hi, I have two friends who I've been contemplating of removing from my life. Both of them don't support me in some things that I do. One doesn't make any effort of catching up or talking to me at all and when I do try to organise a time she usually says she'll tell me when it's closer to the day. I've thought of organising a day to catch up and when she does say "Can we wait till it gets closer to the day?", then say "Do you still want to be friends? If not, just say so". While the other, I feel a bit nervous when I see her because I'm worried she'll ask about a certain something (which I don't feel comfortable saying) because I'll be expecting her to look down at me. She has said negative things about it and this thing is something I love, and I don't want unsupportive people in my life anymore and I feel like I can't be myself around her. But I can't leave her because I'm her only friend and she's been going through a tough time with family. I'm worried I'm being dramatic or wrong and that I should just stay friends with them. I would love to make new friends who are supportive and make an effort, but I have trouble making friends and I'm not sure where to find new friends. Am I being ridiculous and is it all in my head?

ElectricBlue Husband always thinks I'm having an affair
  • replies: 5

My husband and I have been together for 7 years and married for 3. We have always been very deeply in love but he has always had trust issues. He has asked me if I'm cheating on him so many times I've lost count. I used to be a very social person but... View more

My husband and I have been together for 7 years and married for 3. We have always been very deeply in love but he has always had trust issues. He has asked me if I'm cheating on him so many times I've lost count. I used to be a very social person but slowly lost contact with most of my friends as our interests seemed to become completely different and I never really made any new friends. Last night a group of people I used to work with (but honestly didn't really like all that much) invited me out with them. I said no but told my husband that being invited made me miss having friends. He got all upset about it and said that if I really wanted to go out with people I "hate" then there must be an issue with our relationship. I explained to him that this has nothing to do with him or even the people who invited me, I was just saying that I miss having friends. He replied with "well go make some" & left it at that. All day today he has been very cold towards me and has said that either I'm lying and am actually having an affair (& that going out with work people was a cover) or I'm unhappy in our relationship. How can I get him to see that me wanting friends again has absolutely nothing to do with him? I'm also concerned that if I did make new friends & started spending time with them that I would be accused of having an affair again.

Tranquillity_Please 6 year relationship, partner moved out without telling me
  • replies: 16

Hi all, (posted this in intro, but removed triggers to post here) I’ve suffered general & social anxiety since before my teens, which lead to depression. At 43 I found out I have Aspergers, my wife wouldn’t accept this, I instigated our divorce in 20... View more

Hi all, (posted this in intro, but removed triggers to post here) I’ve suffered general & social anxiety since before my teens, which lead to depression. At 43 I found out I have Aspergers, my wife wouldn’t accept this, I instigated our divorce in 2012. I found a new partner familiar with Autism (having 3 sons on the spectrum: 1 autistic, 1 aspie & 1 ADHD). We were together for 6 years, living together for 4 years. Last Friday I returned from a work trip to find she had moved out, taking her children & belongings. It must have been planned months in advance, but I had no idea. We had our difficulties, but I thought that we had open communication, & we would work through them together. As I had done in my first marriage, I was open to counselling, & had been working with my psychologist for the past 6 months, right up until the Wednesday before. In the very little she has communicated with me since leaving, she has told me we have to sell our house, our relationship is over, & she has already set herself up in a new house.This has ripped my heart out. But she also said she is losing her best friend, & hopes I can find it in my heart to still be friends with her. (?) I have taken sick leave from work, & lost over 5kg in 7 days because I cannot eat more than a few bites. I have a constant feeling of dread, anxiety, nausea & misery. I have isolated myself from my family & have no friends close by. If I did I don’t think I’m ready to see them anyway. My only 2 close friends both live interstate. My ex partner & I have started to talk about the financials. This has increased my dread & panic. I do not want to get ripped off, but I don’t want to upset her either - I still love her so so much. I eat next to nothing, sleep from 4-5pm till 10am-12pm, work on preparing the house for sale (on my own) for 3-4 hours, then go to bed again. Sleep seems the only way to get through hurting. I’ve even looked into cuddle therapy, as I am a very tactile person, & used to cuddle my partner a lot. I always gave her a kiss goodnight, when I left for work, & when I returned from work & told her I loved her 2-3 times a day. I did the majority of the housework, organised our finances, shopped for groceries & planned most meals. I also gave her space to socialise with her friends as often as she needed. After my divorce, my ex wife said I was a catch. My ex partner wants to stay friends. The pain of her abrupt and emphatic leaving has emotionally crippled and shattered me.