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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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Jade_94 Resentment towards my partner after 2nd child
  • replies: 3

Hello, I was looking around on google trying to find answers as to why I was feeling angry all the time and I found myself coming back to the question "what triggers these emotions" My Partner. We have just had our 2nd child together he is currently ... View more

Hello, I was looking around on google trying to find answers as to why I was feeling angry all the time and I found myself coming back to the question "what triggers these emotions" My Partner. We have just had our 2nd child together he is currently 6 months and out eldest is 3 in a month. My partner works full time and I work nights 3 days a week.. My partner works so bloody hard for us. I find Staying home with the kids is HARD 80% of the time. And I notice my self getting more and more short tempered . and it scares me. I find my self always waiting for my partner to get home. But when he does? Its not enough for me, I'm disappointed ? Why ? He likes to relax after work by playing games on the computer, he puts on his head set and talks to his mates nearly all night. He does help when I ask him to do things. But sometimes he complains. He says he has been working ALL day, so I should do what's needed for the kids. Like I'm sorry you had kids. They still apply even after you finish work. Most times I'm fine with this. But lately its PISSING me off. I just find my self so angry at him. All the time. Is it because he has a hobby? something to escape to when he comes home? Whyyyyy

Tigerlilly1 Cant understand and not dealing too well
  • replies: 6

I have just broken up with my fiancee. We were together 12 years. We have had ups and downs over the years but all couples do. The reason it started from what i am aware of is was checking my bank online and noticed he had used my card for a few more... View more

I have just broken up with my fiancee. We were together 12 years. We have had ups and downs over the years but all couples do. The reason it started from what i am aware of is was checking my bank online and noticed he had used my card for a few more things than he had told me so asked what he had spent my money on. All of a sudden he was yelling at me that i was always at him and i did nothing around the house to help him as i was always at computer doing cricket stuff. (I am a secretary of an association) then he grabbed me and pinned me to floor although he claims i tripped. But he still had me by the shirt and had fist raised at me. When he let go i just went outside in shock and would not talk to him as was waiting for an apology. He moved downstairs to sleep that night and then for 5 weeks we didnt speak. For 3 weeks after that he slept elsewhere. Didnt have a clue where and only come home to shower and change. Then when i messged him and said that was he moving out or i trying to get a response or apology. He wasnt moving anywhere that i was the one going. The day i moved is the day a so called friend of mine posted on FB that she and him were in a relationship. I am not dealing with him not wantung to talk to me to fix things that day and prior and that he and a friend are in a relationship. I asked to meet with him to find out what the go was to help me through this and was told we had nothing in common i was nasty and boring. I dont undertand how all this has come to being all of a sudden without my partner and when they started this relationship as he cant remember a certain date. He claims the last two years were hard for him. We even went on a cruise shortly before all this paid for by my kids as a 50th birthday present. I am crying at a drop of a hat at anything and just want to be swallowed up in a big black hole. My heart is in a million pieces over this as prior to this we were fine so i thought. I just dont understand says he still wants to be friends and have a bond but not the bond we thought we would have.

ShaneB91 Feeling incredibly lonely
  • replies: 3

Hey there. I'm Shane. I've gone through a pretty big break-up and although we're working things out, we're keeping our distance so as to not rush things. During the break up, my 'friends' (I use that term pretty loosely due to their words and actions... View more

Hey there. I'm Shane. I've gone through a pretty big break-up and although we're working things out, we're keeping our distance so as to not rush things. During the break up, my 'friends' (I use that term pretty loosely due to their words and actions) have essentially abandoned me. I think it's part to me somewhat maturing quite a bit over the past 6 months and their stagnant lives, but also their ragging on my ex (whom I still love to Gallifrey and back) even though I asked them not to didn't help the friendship. My best mate of almost 20 years all of sudden removed me from his life. I think it has something to do with my atheistic world view and his further movement into the Jehovah Witness church, which I never had an issue with (his beliefs) and I never questioned them, however I think he may have felt 'threatened' by things I've said in passing to others in conversation/debate. The loss of his friendship struck quite a blow, but I've come to accept that it's his life and his choice to not be in my life anymore. Aside from those people, I don't really have any other friends. I have a couple fellas I play Xbox Live with occasionally but those times are few and far between. I guess being a Sunday night in a dead-end town has me feeling lost. So I'm just wondering if anyone would like to chat at all? I could add you on facebook or even if you're a gamer (Xbox One and PC here), we could game together. I guess I'm saying I'm looking for a friend and with the power of the internet at my fingertips, things could be easy. I'm an introvert, however I do like to explore new places when given the opportunity. I'm a big Doctor Who fan (New Who only; haven't had a chance to watch the older stuff), I love new music, I enjoy a good comedy and my top 3 favourite tv shows are 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia', 'The Office (US)' and 'Doctor Who'. I'm a 26 year old lonely fella looking to keep my mind from turning into the beehive that my anxiety turns it into. Men or women, it doesn't matter. Just looking for friendship (PS, I apologise if this is the wrong place to post this. I sort of jumped straight into the first forum that had 'loneliness' in the description.)

Afraid99 Feeling defeated
  • replies: 3

I recently posted a thread related to anxiety around a new relationship. That has since ended. ( friend zoned hard) i feel defeated. I can’t seem to ever maintain a relationship. I live rurally, so meeting people can be hard. I’m on multiple online s... View more

I recently posted a thread related to anxiety around a new relationship. That has since ended. ( friend zoned hard) i feel defeated. I can’t seem to ever maintain a relationship. I live rurally, so meeting people can be hard. I’m on multiple online sites with a wide range of distance hoping to meet someone. I’m a pretty genuine person. I’m honest. Very hard working. Due to my job I can come across very confident, which I understand can put guys off. I’m very caring and understanding. I’m patient. I don’t limit my options by being overly selective. I’m happy to catch up with someone as long as there is a connection. I have been open to people who I would not consider to be traditionally attractive, but I go by personality and connection. I’m open to guys who already have kids and always work in conjunction with the guy so he can always put the kids first. I don’t interfere in the relationship they have with their ex. I just can’t figure out where I’m going wrong. I’m not overly full on towards the guy, even though in private my anxiety really plays at me . i really want a long term relationship. I genuinely have a lot to offer a guy, but never seem to get that opportunity. I’d love to have a family of my own, but I’m starting to get to an age where the clock is going to soon start ticking down. How do I meet someone who will be interested in something long term? How do I get them to hang around long enough to give me the chance to show I’m actually not a bad chick. I know this is a common problem for a lot of women.

Capybara Facing Reality of Alcoholism
  • replies: 10

Hi all, I have been with my partner for two years and he is my dearest friend and someone who I feel I can truly be myself with. About a year ago he told me that he believes he is an alcoholic - because he could never stop at one drink (or five, or s... View more

Hi all, I have been with my partner for two years and he is my dearest friend and someone who I feel I can truly be myself with. About a year ago he told me that he believes he is an alcoholic - because he could never stop at one drink (or five, or six etc) and he felt dependent on it. I have seen a lot of people engage with alcohol this way who don't believe they have a problem at all, and I guess I thought since he was acknowledging it himself, he was the one who identified the problem, and I hadn't really felt any particular issue with his drinking, I figured it wasn't a big deal. But I wanted to support him - so we've done a few different things over the year, we've both quit drinking together for short periods of time. We've had a calendar where we marked the days he didn't drink so he could see how he was doing across the course of a month (he went two months where he only drank a few days of the month). But I guess the past few months have been stressful, with pressure of study and social isolation. He started drinking fairly regularly again, the main issue of which really is that he can't really afford it and also that he never really invites me to drink with him, so he'll come home with a bottle and sit down with it and not even ask if I want a glass (though is happy to share if I ask). For a couple of weeks recently he started exercising every morning and afternoon and he didn't drink in that time, but then we went away and had a big weekend. Anyway, just recently he got so drunk and it was actually really hard to handle. He was unpredictable, forgetful, and eventually hostile. When we got home he passed out and I wrote down everything that had happened for him to read the next morning, which he did. He was very upset by it all, and felt he didn't deserve to be with me. The next day he emailed me from work and said he wants to quit drinking and asked me to talk to my family for support with this. He asked me to tell my parents so they don't offer him drinks at dinners etc. I feel like this is positive, but I'm scared as well of the possibility that things could get worse, not better. I guess I think I'm actually facing the reality that he's an alcoholic for the first time. Any support would be much appreciated... Thank you all.

Luvmydog Missing my daughter who lives overseas
  • replies: 2

Our daughter moved to the UK 3 years ago. At first temporarily on a 2 year visa, then her work place sponsored her for 5 years, and she has fallen in love with a Portuguese man. They are living together & plan on marrying. I am struggling terribly mi... View more

Our daughter moved to the UK 3 years ago. At first temporarily on a 2 year visa, then her work place sponsored her for 5 years, and she has fallen in love with a Portuguese man. They are living together & plan on marrying. I am struggling terribly missing her. I have up & down times with this & at the moment am very sad. What i stuggle with is not knowing if she will ever come back to Australia to live. I see a sad future where we only see each other once a year or so. It fills me with such sadness to think I won't see her or any grandchildren on a regular basis. And when we're too old to travel or it's too expensive for her to come back, what then? She had to return to Aus to wait for her visa approval & during that time she was cold & distant, not wanting to spend time with us & reverting to teenage behaviour staying in the bedroom etc. This was very hurtful to us both especially as she was only here for such a short time. She was angry that we had not given her the money to fly back while she waited for her visa & that she didn't feel supported by us in her decision. We could have afforded to pay, but i felt that if it was something she wanted, she should make it happen herself. We went to a counsellor a couple of times while she was home. I didn't click with the person really & I didn't really get to say what i felt in front of my daughter because I was too upset & spent most of the time crying. We've had a great holiday in europe with them both & they came home for Christmas. Our relationship has improved massively, esp since we visited over there & met her boyfriend. He's lovely & we like him a lot. we skype every week & she often rings when she's walking to work, & we text regularly. She was very upset when they went back to London after Christmas & sobbed when we all said goodbye. Saying goodbye is so hard for everyone, it's almost too much to bear. I know she misses us & home & loves us. We are planning on a half way trip to see each other later this year. The get togethers aren't enough for me though. I miss not being able to have coffees & go shopping or seeing her when she'd drop in on her way home from work. All that stuff we used to have. I keep busy, see friends, I go to work. But I'm still not coping. What else can I do? The separation & uncertainty are horrible.

nootnoot Can’t make friends at uni 😞
  • replies: 2

I start back uni on the 26th of February and I am very nervous about it. I am studying nursing, which I love, and I actually enjoy going to classes, but I have no friends at uni. I will be in my second year this year. I am shy and worry people won’t ... View more

I start back uni on the 26th of February and I am very nervous about it. I am studying nursing, which I love, and I actually enjoy going to classes, but I have no friends at uni. I will be in my second year this year. I am shy and worry people won’t like me but I try to hide my shyness and will be friendly to people. I have noticed a lot of the friend groups were already formed since most of the students were fresh out of high school and came from the same high schools. I am about 10 years older than them and I have nothing against being friends with younger people or older people. In my first semester, I started becoming friendly with a girl because we shared our stories about our depression and anxiety. The more I started hanging out with her I noticed it started to be a one sided friendship. She would always talk about herself and how hard her life is which is fine, I would listen, but when I tried to talk she would be fixated on her phone and wouldn’t listen to what I have to say. I also started to notice she would put me down (I guess that’s the right word). For example, she told me my boobs didnt look very big, said I was a bitch for having long eyelashes and during prac classes she would pick on everything I was doing. I tried to just ignore everything. She would always try to compare grades too. There was also a time she said to save her a seat in a lecture but she would see another friend then go sit with them while I sat alone. The final straw for me was when we finished a class and I asked her to wait 2 minutes for me while I see the teacher. When I came out of the classroom she wasn’t there. I decided I go back to my car. As I started to walk off, I saw my “friend” powerwalking away with another friend of hers. I very upset by that. She is a 28 year old woman too. I felt like a loser. That’s something girls would do to me in highschool. I am worried about seeing her at uni again because I hate confrontation and awkwardness. I have a great group of friends outside of uni and I still like meeting new people and creating new friendships but I also struggle making friends at uni. It would be nice to have someone to sit with on a break, talk about the class with and to study with but I don’t. I always feel like other people see me as a loser or I’m weird or a bitch because I am shy.

TJR Sent back home
  • replies: 2

I moved out of mums for a year, I was living with one of my sisters because i needed a change from schooling as i was getting bullied. anyways, after a year i have been sent back to live with mum... even though my sister knows that mum neglects us al... View more

I moved out of mums for a year, I was living with one of my sisters because i needed a change from schooling as i was getting bullied. anyways, after a year i have been sent back to live with mum... even though my sister knows that mum neglects us all and knows that my depression gets worse when it comes to being around our mother. I have been back for a week now and i feel so lost. My mother never listens to me, she will only talk to me when its all about her or what she wants me to do around the house, or wants me to go shopping with her. Today my mum walked in to my room while i was unpacking boxes of my things and gave me toilet paper otherwise mums boyfriends daughter gets cranky that i use hers... but i never got told we have our own toilet paper, I always have to clean up after mums partners daughter in the bath room. I am finding it very hard to cope, because all i want to do and have been doing is sleeping. one minute I'm happy and energetic and the next i could be depressed and just wanting to sleep. I was very happy back with my sister, i was looking for a job, starting up in a soccer team, gaining new skills and more confidence. ever since moving a few hours away back into mums, i literally have no confidence, my anxiety and depression seems to be getting to me a lot every night. I keep crying and i don't even know why myself. i honestly don't know what I am trying to say... i guess i am just confused and wanting someone to listen. Sorry if this doesn't make sense

GemAndLogan Advice on my insecurities
  • replies: 5

Hi everyone, I need some advice. I feel silly writing because it seems trivial and stupid but I need to address it anyway. I've been in my relationship for 6 months- everything is perfect and I am so happy My previous relationship was traumatic,physi... View more

Hi everyone, I need some advice. I feel silly writing because it seems trivial and stupid but I need to address it anyway. I've been in my relationship for 6 months- everything is perfect and I am so happy My previous relationship was traumatic,physically and mentally abusive and full of lies and betrayal. He cheated more times than i even know about. It ended almost a year ago I have insecurities from my previous relationship, I trust my partner and he has never done anything to make me question him but sometimes I'm suspicious about his phone, it's so stupid but sometimes i obsess about who he might be talking to. I've been tempted to check his phone but I never do because I know that's not ok. It's not healthy and I know it's completely my insecurities from my previous relationship that cause it but I don't know how to deal with it. My partner is supportive and has never done anything to make me not trust him. I want to know how to move on and let go of these demons because I really don't want them to get in the way of my relationship. I don't want to be that person Any advice would be great Gem

Michelle1978 Friend acting all strange
  • replies: 4

I became friends with a lady that I met when I went back to uni about 6 years ago. She is a little older then me and is married. They make a great couple and I always trusted them completely. At the start of last year I met up with her and her hubby ... View more

I became friends with a lady that I met when I went back to uni about 6 years ago. She is a little older then me and is married. They make a great couple and I always trusted them completely. At the start of last year I met up with her and her hubby for dinner and She told me that she wanted to spent more time together. I told her that was cool. They always have such busy social lives and I have always told her that I always happy to fit her in because my life isnt as busy. I tried to catch up with her a couple of times but she was unavailable. I caught up with her mid year and had a nice dinner together. I asked her when was I going to see her next and she told me probably Christmas time as they were going overseas etc. she was smsing me in October saying that she wanted to catch up and we should lock some dates in. I told her I was free anytime. She never wrote back. Then in November I wrote to her asking if she still wanted to catch up. She said she was busy until Feb as they had friends over from overseas etc. i just smsed her back and said “Not to worry” Around Christmas time I sent her a couple of sms which i got no response to (she was always really quick to respond) i rang her and the phone rang a couple of times and then went to voicemail. I googled this and wondered if she had blocked me on her phone? She told me once that if she doesnt want contact with anybody again thats what she does. I blocked my number and rang her and the phone rang more then 3 times and I left her a voicemail and then she smsed me back and said that she was away and catch up in the new year. I tried to call her last week and it rang a couple of times and went to voicemail and i left a message. I also smsed her and got no response. I found her email address and emailed her and invited her and her hubby for a meal at my place when they were free and she responded saying that she had phone issues before Christmas and lost a lot of phone numbers. I dont know if i believe this or not. She then went on to say that she has been working interstate and isnt around much anymore and spends the weekends with her husband. Again im just not sure if this is the truth or not? i wrote back and she responded but the language is quite closed and i just think its all a bit wierd? I want to email her and tell her how much her friendship meant but im not sure how to word it or if it will change the situation? I keep blaming myself. i dont know what to make of the situation?