Immediate support
Immediate support

Relationship and family issues

Anything to do with managing relationships and family, including parenting, separation, loneliness, divorce, family and friendships.

Start a discussion

FAQ

Find answers to some of the more frequently asked questions on the Forums.

View the FAQ

Forums guidelines

Our guidelines keep the Forums a safe place for people to share and learn information.

View the guidelines
Categories
Start a discussion

Pinned discussions

BeyondBlue Hey there - read this to see what this section is all about
  • replies: 0

Hello and welcome This is the Relationships and Family section where members can talk about what is happening in their lives and the people they live with. We know that who we live with can make a big impact on our wellbeing, both in a good way or a ... View more

Hello and welcome This is the Relationships and Family section where members can talk about what is happening in their lives and the people they live with. We know that who we live with can make a big impact on our wellbeing, both in a good way or a negative way. As always, we want to hear your story and how it impacts you and encourage everyone to support each other with kindness. There are a few things to consider when posting in this section so we can all get the most out of it: Everyone’s situation is unique. We all do our best to share what is important in our story but we can never share it all. Let’s be mindful we can’t know all of everyone’s story. Anonymous but public. These posts are available to everyone and while the moderation team keeps the Forums anonymous, posts are still online for everyone to read. Have a think about what you want to share to get the best support for you. Please stay safe. This space is an amazing way to seek support from others who might understand what you are going through. We want to hear how you are going and what is happening for you. Please also consider 1800RESPECT if you don’t feel safe or 000 if you are in danger right now. You deserve to be safe. Thank you again for joining this conversation, your contributions are worthy and important to us here. Beyond Blue

All discussions

Start a discussion

Pinky20 Dating a guy with issues and doubts about himself. He’s depressed and needs more time before he talks to me again.
  • replies: 13

Hi all, I’m new to this and I signed up desperately looking for answers. So my story is I’ve been seeing this lovely guy for 6 months and I think is safe to say that I’ve fallen for him. We’ve been seeing each other consistently but suddenly things w... View more

Hi all, I’m new to this and I signed up desperately looking for answers. So my story is I’ve been seeing this lovely guy for 6 months and I think is safe to say that I’ve fallen for him. We’ve been seeing each other consistently but suddenly things went downhill during our weekend together. Admittedly we had arguments during the time we’ll It’s actually kind of petty but something happened the night before he turned cold turkey. Previously, he’s always brought up about his “bad” past and last relationship where his ex cheated on him with his cousin. However for the first time that night he revealed that he was so close to killing himself when he found out about his ex and his cousin and I felt that was the catalyst. Out of the blue he said he just wanted to be friends with no more intimacy but contradicted himself multiple times telling me that he likes me a lot and doesn’t want me to leave. I tried to walk away from him but he wouldn’t let me go. He kept trying to force “don’t decide yet, use time to think” on me when I was very adamant to leave solely because I have feelings for him and is hard to be friends. In the past he’s said that he likes me but just can’t do relationships. Never gave reasons why. The problem is, we are practically in a relationship without the actual label. He would say negative things like, “I will die alone”, “If it makes you feel any better, I will never be in a relationship”, “Don’t let stupid old me be in your way”, etc. He’s really insecure and just not happy with himself. Eventually he admitted that he needs space and time to think before he talks to me again. I agreed to give him space because I needed it too. I broke the no-contact rule because I was ready and realised how much I actually love him and wanted to tell him but then I discovered he spiraled out of control during our short break. He started smoking again (he quit for more than 10 years), got high and drank (when he planned to stop drinking for at least 6 months). I asked him if he’s ok and he said, “I don’t care anymore. I’m losing my mind. I haven’t slept for more than 2 days”. I managed to get him to sleep but he’s still pushing me away telling me he needs more time and for me to not worry about him but concentrate on myself. He assured me we will talk again after I told him that I’m worried and I miss talking to him. He wants another week of space and I really want to give him space but I can’t help but feel hopeless. What should I do?

Pinky20 I rashly confronted the guy I’ve been dating and wanting space and he confessed about his depression. How do I handle this from today?
  • replies: 2

Hi all, I previously posted about dating this guy for 6 months then suddenly he wanted to be friends then needed space. He’s been rather confusing and contradicting with his feelings. He can’t seem to let me go and is leaving me in a dead-end. With a... View more

Hi all, I previously posted about dating this guy for 6 months then suddenly he wanted to be friends then needed space. He’s been rather confusing and contradicting with his feelings. He can’t seem to let me go and is leaving me in a dead-end. With all the replies I got from my last post, it’s been inferred that I may have triggered him about his past and that he has a fear of abandonment. He’s very negative of himself, thinks he’s not worthy enough to be loved. The break has put an emotional toll on me because I miss him and hate not being able to talk to him. During the first week of no-contact, he spiralled out of control and relied on smoking, drugs and alcohol as his coping techniques. He admitted to losing his mind. I became very worried and would message him to see if he was ok. Over the days he would tell me he is not ready to talk to me yet. He needs more time. Unfortunately I couldn’t control myself and confronted him and gave him an ultimatum because I can’t be sitting around waiting for him when he’s never given me a reason why he needs space. I told him that he has til the end of this week to be ready or at least tell me why he needs space or else I will cut all ties because is not fair for me to be left in the dark. As expected, he took it very harshly and became defensive saying he feels pressured everytime I message him when he said he needed space. Fair point. He went on to deny the relationship and said he didn’t need to give me a reason then said he can’t deal with me anymore. He wants to go our separate ways. So things got heated. I was more angry than upset so I told him the hard truth about himself and that was, “I don’t want to stick around waiting if the old (his name) I’ve known won’t come back because you haven’t been yourself. You’re a having a relapse”. The word ‘relapse’ was what got him to finally admit that he has issues. So he admitted that he hasn’t been himself. He doesn’t want to talk to me because he doesn’t want to drag me down with him. He doesn’t like reaching out to people. He wants to isolate himself from everyone. My anger turned into guilt and sorrow. Earlier in the heat of the moment he said making him talk made him angry and he wanted to tell me to leave him alone and he “cbf anymore” but after he opened up about his depression, he begged me to just give him time and reassured me that he will chat to me when he is ready. I feel bad for making him open up and I don’t know what will happen after this?

Catta Painful relationship
  • replies: 2

I really love this man. We've been dating for a year now and at first he seemed to have it all. I still to an extent think he does. He was charming, confident, funny and honest. It soon became apparent however that he had a serious drinking problem a... View more

I really love this man. We've been dating for a year now and at first he seemed to have it all. I still to an extent think he does. He was charming, confident, funny and honest. It soon became apparent however that he had a serious drinking problem and occasionally dabbled in gambling and substance abuse. Soon enough, he would take out his frustration on me and bring up relationship issues only while he was drunk, calling me horrible names, putting me down in ways he knew would affect my self esteem. I may have failed to mention, I am only 19 and he is 27, so this kind of behavior was relatively unexpected. Anyway, he goes from joking around with me, showering me with gifts and being all cute, to commenting on my appearance and calling me things such as selfish, stupid, useless ... always when hes been drinking. I stay because I have this hope that if he quits the drinking and gets help for his anxiety and depression (amongst other health issues) we can be happy again like we used to be. I dont want to give up yet because I feel like there's still love there for both of us. The pain of waiting and being disappointed though is hurting a lot. What should I do?

JessicaY Cheated, pregnant and fell in love
  • replies: 1

I’ve never cheated before & have been loyal my entire marriage. I’ve been with my DH since 04 & generally been a good marriage.We had our first child in 2016.Long story short, he cheated on me with his family friend who came here from overseas whom I... View more

I’ve never cheated before & have been loyal my entire marriage. I’ve been with my DH since 04 & generally been a good marriage.We had our first child in 2016.Long story short, he cheated on me with his family friend who came here from overseas whom I did a lot for.It felt like the ultimate betrayal & bub was only 4mnths old. Things were rocky for a while & it still comes up when we have a huge fight. For the last 6mnths its felt like our marriage is hard.we argue & I prefer being out with others. 3mnths ago , I reconnected with a guy I had worked with. We hit it off, went for dinner & started seeing each other a lot. For the first time in a while, I felt vry happy, loved & totally mesmerised.I realised this was very wrong but my feelings were so strong & we ended up sleeping together. Even the sex is something that I’ve never felt with anyone else. This is horrible. He is married with 4 kids. 3 which are still very young & 1 who‘S a teen (from his first wife.) When I first found out that he had the 2 babies, I wantd to end it. He told me his marriage has been rocky for a long time, isn’t happy, planning on leaving etc. I never thought I’d be that person who‘d cheat, let alone with a person thats married with children. He treats me like no other man has & we have this insane connection in every way. We make each other happy. My plans were to leave my DH, as was his.. eventually. I never expected to fall this deep with anyone & I don’t think he did either. I recently found out I’m pregnant. Theres a small chance that it could be my DHs. I don’t want to have an abortion. It makes me sad but I don’t feel like I have a choice. I can’t tell my DH it may not be his. Someone told me to have it without telling him & wait until I get a DNA to confirm. I am at 8wks & although it’s the size of a blueberry, is tiny, I feel like it’s a life. I don’t know if I can live with that guilt of killing something. He OM said that he wants to have kids with me but not in this situation.That by having it now, it will break both families. I realise we should’ve thought of this before. I’ve said to him that he doesn’t need to have any involvement or tell his wife. I am so confused to & I’m going crazy at the thought of what to do. I feel like it’ll break both families apart if j keep it. It really dawned on me that I’m such a horrible human being for having an affair with someone that has kids.His poor wife. His poor kids. My poor unborn child. My poor daughter &DH. I am a mess.

disposable To let go
  • replies: 1

I will start with my husband of nearly 10 years had been asking for us to separate. He had asked for separation three times now since October last year, and last one being last week, to which, I finally agree. Previously I had been begging him not to... View more

I will start with my husband of nearly 10 years had been asking for us to separate. He had asked for separation three times now since October last year, and last one being last week, to which, I finally agree. Previously I had been begging him not to (as we have a 5 years old together) and been making compromises. And this last one I can see that I have exhausted all my effort to keep us together, and that he’s made up his mind. He wasn’t angry. He was pretty calm and mature, and explained his proposed arrangement in regards to our kid, and he’s telling me to start finding a place. He initially said that we had grown apart, and that we are now two different people. That I am an independent woman and that he is fine with it, it’s just that us as a couple, just wouldn’t work anymore. He doesn’t feel he can deal with my years long bulimia/depression problem. That we both deserve to be happy, although that means not being with each other. The list goes on, but the point is that he hopes we will find our own happiness in our separate ways. He helped me find a place and will help me move (as he will be moving back with his parents) and have been very flexible with our son arrangement and our work hours. He intends to keep things amicable as we do not want our son to be affected by this. I intend to do the same although it somehow pains me to see us dissolving. I want him to be happy. He deserves that. He has been a great dad although I can’t say we were the best as a couple. Maybe I didn’t try hard enough, maybe he didn’t. Maybe we both did but it just wasn’t working. I don’t know. The thing is, that I will be moving out early next month as arranged and sometimes I still find it inside me it’s hard to believe that it had came to this. I’m not too sure how to properly let go. I don’t know how to tell myself that we’ve both done our best (which I find I don’t) and that it’s time to let go. I’m not too sure about anything at all. We have been together for a long time for now to be separated although we’re doing it slowly (no door slamming or gone awol), it’s still very difficult to accept. Please advise what I should do. Thank you.

Seekparadise I fell in love and it gave me hope- now it’s over
  • replies: 1

4 months ago I broke up with my ex, my Nanna passed away, I moved back home from interstate & travelled to Europe for a month. The change rattled me. Europe was incredible but mentally I struggled more than I ever have in my life. I started seeing so... View more

4 months ago I broke up with my ex, my Nanna passed away, I moved back home from interstate & travelled to Europe for a month. The change rattled me. Europe was incredible but mentally I struggled more than I ever have in my life. I started seeing someone new. We bonded so strongly. He’d just come out of two traumatic relationships and struggles with ptsd. We supported each other through so many emotional breakdowns and lifted each other up when we needed it. He was there for me when I was self harming, checking in with me after doctors appts, researching my medication for me. He became my rock, the person I went to for everything. I hold so much compassion in my heart for what he’s been through and I care for him so deeply. I fell in love. It wasn’t as simple for him. He has trust issues, I was supposed to be moving to Melbourne, he’s too broken to fall in love back. The situation does my head in but I can’t let go. It made my mental health worse. So we did the dance of getting close and then me falling down a hole as soon as I left his house and agreeing to create distance, then the cycle repeating. I know it’s unhealthy. He finally has come to a decision that we should stop seeing each other, because he can’t give me what I want (a proper relationship) and it’s hurting me too much. I feel broken. He has all the qualities of what I was looking for in a life partner and I’ve never said that about anybody. In the beginning, I felt so hopeful, he understood me in a way no one has before, cared for me in a way I could really FEEL, we could’ve been great for each other. Now my hope has drained cold. I’ve already done this before- loving someone I can’t be with and who can’t love me back, and it almost destroyed me, and it took me five years to get over. I can’t go through this again. I still feel I can’t let him go. I’m so attached to him. Without him, I’m worried how I’ll cope. Everyone feels so far away and I don’t want to be close to anyone else. I have a psych appt next Wed and my GP has me on medications, so I’ve gotten help. I just don’t feel I can get through this again. All I see is hellish months coming up for me. All I do is drink, get sadder and more desperate, nurse a hangover, lay in bed and cry. I’m so tired of feeling so full of hope and having it ripped away from me and being left with yet another huge disappointment.

lifepurpose Uncoupling a marriage
  • replies: 3

Hi. Has anyone uncoupled their marriage by living in separate houses and sharing the custody of the kids? I have been thinking of leaving my 14 year marriage on and off for a couple of years. Their has been no affair or abuse but I keep thinking that... View more

Hi. Has anyone uncoupled their marriage by living in separate houses and sharing the custody of the kids? I have been thinking of leaving my 14 year marriage on and off for a couple of years. Their has been no affair or abuse but I keep thinking that we are holding each other back from what we really want from life ans being truly happy. We are just 2 people living in the same house looking after some kids. We have developed into 2 different people (introvert vs extrovert, active vs inactive). We have tried counselling years ago and I have been to counselling recently but is it ok to say 'well we gave it a go but lets just do our own thing'? I am happy to give my kids financial support and have them half the time. My main concern is the reaction of my wife as she can be very proud, selfish and get very angry. I think deep down should would eventually be ok with it. Thanks.

MummaPetal I want to feel at home somewhere
  • replies: 3

I am struggling with my marriage about whether to stay or go. We have been married for over 10 years and have a child together. We have wanted a second one but have been unsuccessful. Tests revealed no obvious reason but just "one of those things". M... View more

I am struggling with my marriage about whether to stay or go. We have been married for over 10 years and have a child together. We have wanted a second one but have been unsuccessful. Tests revealed no obvious reason but just "one of those things". My parents have both passed away and the family home was demolished. My family is changing and some have moved away, permanently. My husband is great how he has supported me to stay at home with our child. However, with his chronic sleep apnea we have to sleep in separate rooms. I am a light sleeper and hear his CPAP machine. He is often tired and tunes out for the day on the computer, TV or his phone. I often feel lonely. We have no intimacy in our marriage. He has a very low sex drive. We have had couples therapy but the right things are said in the session but things always go back to the way they were. Nothing changes. He is happy in the marriage and I am not. I am really scared. I feel as if there is a little girl inside of me screaming for attention. I want to go back to work but feel an absolute lack of confidence. It's like I want to launch but my springboard doesn't feel stable. I don't feel supported or nurtured. I don't have any money to leave. Can anyone offer any advice? Thanks.

ASmileADay_ I'm new to the BB Forum and looking to share my experience with in-laws
  • replies: 21

Hey Everyone, I want to start saying hello and thank you in advance. As much as you are here to support, im here to do just the same. I'll keep my story short as possible. I have been with my partner for 3 years. After 8 months together we moved into... View more

Hey Everyone, I want to start saying hello and thank you in advance. As much as you are here to support, im here to do just the same. I'll keep my story short as possible. I have been with my partner for 3 years. After 8 months together we moved into his parents which was where my problems began. I was in and out of contract/temp jobs which was stressful plus the additional pressure to always be around his family. Plus the gossiping and b*tching that went was doing my head in. The control that was there was unreal. It wasn't until we broke up earlier this year that I had realised how far the control went. Despite our own problems that we never sorted properly, and couldn't because of family interference, his parents were telling him to break up with me as "all they could see" was us fighting and being unhappy/miserable and so they got their wish. We were not in a good place, but we weren't like that when we lived in our own place. I did my best to be fair to everyone plus myself, and it is very difficult to become a part of another family when you had such a different way of life and upbringing. But does that give anyone a right to tell someone to leave a person? On top of that I was being talked about behind my back which to this day I am so paranoid about. After two months of not being with my SO, I re-connected with him and we have had the necessary discussions and are doing this again. Though this isn't what I want to justify or talk about...as we both know what his family is like (he is very disappointed in them too, and in himself for being so blind). My problem now is not just the fact that nothing will be the same, but it's this paranoia I live with. Feeling like they are in his ear, that I will be criticised for EVERYTHING I do. I don't care as much as I did some months ago as I have found a couple of people who are apart of the family who see my SO's parents for what they are which really helps as further support. Perhaps I'm venting and not asking for an answer, but I just want to feel normal again. Im getting there slowly. But the experience traumatised me so much. I was angry with my SO, but I hated his parents for how they expected me to explain my actions, leaving me to defend myself. It was all too much, plus the gossiping and really nasty talk about others. It's just not for me...but I do hope that one day I wont have to second guess myself. thanks everyone for hearing me out...I'd detail so much more but cant! D