Relationship and family issues

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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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Loupa New relationship, stalker, at breaking point.
  • replies: 5

I've been separated for 2+ years. It was very messy & someone I can't avoid as he's in the same workplace. I have recently met someone (5 weeks ago). It was an amazing initial few weeks. & things were moving very fast-met his family & friends, book a... View more

I've been separated for 2+ years. It was very messy & someone I can't avoid as he's in the same workplace. I have recently met someone (5 weeks ago). It was an amazing initial few weeks. & things were moving very fast-met his family & friends, book a couple of holidays etc. This new man went cold turkey off his anti depressants and I've been supporting him through that-withdrawals etc. He has since developed shingles ?linked to this. He has also had someone very close to him pass away, among other terrible things in the space of a few weeks. We recently had a fight over what I thought was quite trivial & now he has really stepped back. We are supposed to be going on a mini holiday in a few days which coincides with his birthday. I have gone from cloud 9 & feeling really secure and excited about the now & potential future to feeling powerless, anxious and doubting myself. I'm a shift worker & am struggling to sleep & eat. I feel incredibly emotional & as soon as work finishes I climb into bed to escape. I'm so scared that I'm going back to a dark place. I'm moody, snappy & desperately wanting to resolve things. I think it's fair to say that one of my best friends has become a stalker. He recently confessed his love for me and is ignoring all my plees to give me space. I feel suffocated by his ongoing emotion filled texts and calls and not respecting what I have with this new person. He can see my every move on a map while I'm at work & I work in a high stress job so it's very overwhelming. He has visited my parents' home breaking down in front of them & has sent me gifts, flowers & even a book with typed up promises with a cut out spot for a ring for the day he promised to me! It's not normal behaviour at all and I have no doubt it has lead to my stress and effected things with this new guy. I'm barely functioning and am crying at the drop of a hat. Needing help & advice please.

Rhu Losing family members
  • replies: 7

Hi everyone, About 3 years ago, my beloved grandfather was diagnosed with cancer and wasn't given much time to live. Then just weeks later, my mother was diagnosed with cancer as well. Just 2 years ago, my grandfather passed away from the cancer, and... View more

Hi everyone, About 3 years ago, my beloved grandfather was diagnosed with cancer and wasn't given much time to live. Then just weeks later, my mother was diagnosed with cancer as well. Just 2 years ago, my grandfather passed away from the cancer, and since then, I often get tearful and panicky moments when I think about losing another family member. My grandmother has a lot of mental health issues and has lost the will to live, and everytime I talk to her, I often end up in tears after the call. I keep fearing that everytime I talk to her over the phone could be the last time I speak to her, and I keep getting morbid thoughts that she could suddenly pass away in her sleep the next day. My mother is in remission now, but I sometimes get paranoid thoughts that the cancer could return and end her life prematurely; other times, I keep fearing that she might be killed in a plane crash when flying home. Anyone have any advise on how to deal with these worries? Thanks in advance. Rhu

BS Allowing myself to relax and be happy.
  • replies: 1

I am in a long term relationship of five years. She has just proposed to me. It was amazing and out of the blue and even though we always said we would never get married I am really happy. These past 5 years have been amazing, it has taken me a long ... View more

I am in a long term relationship of five years. She has just proposed to me. It was amazing and out of the blue and even though we always said we would never get married I am really happy. These past 5 years have been amazing, it has taken me a long time to admit that I feel the way I do about her, for a long time I said I was in it for a good time not a long time, and then when she was living with me I told people she was staying with because the idea of her living with me was to much of a commitment. I have huge commitment phobias. However although it took five years I finally accepted being in a relationship and started to feel good about it even. Now she has proposed, for the first month I was fine. I was in a bliss of 'just engaged' but suddenly all my old fears have started to flood back to me, what if she is not the one? What if I am not the one for her? What if I am not good enough for her? Is this actual love? What if three years down the track things change between us? Saying yes has suddenly brought back all my insecurity s. Including one that took me ages to get over but now I am starting to think maybe I didn't ever get over it. My partner has this friend. An old high school friend, they are really close and they used to hook up when they where younger, nothing to serious or anything, I have met her twice. (she lives in a different state) But I always have this nagging feeling in the back of my head that something is going on between them. And I know it is not, this other chick is completely straight and she is even in a relationship but it is like they have this bond that does not even seem to come close to ours. And I know it is just cause they grew up together, but I hate it. I always worry they are together secretly. I thought I was over it, but now that she has asked me to marry her I have started to spiral out of control again. Which makes no sense because she asked me to be with her for the rest of my life, I mean shouldn't that make me feel more comfortable in the relationship? But my commitment phobia just screams out at me that commitment equals pain, betrayal and lies. I have talked to her about it and she says she understands but I also don't want her to change her relationship with this other girl just cause she is with someone who has crazy jealousy problems. Does anyone have any tips to getting over this kind of jealousy and fear? I am scared my fear will eventually break us up. I just want to be able to be happy.

-e Not ready to speak about issues but being forced.
  • replies: 16

Hi, I'm new to this so this might be a bit long but here is my situation. I am 23, almost 24 years old. I had been, until recently, living in the UK for the past 2 years. My visa expired and I was forced to return to Australia. After this I started f... View more

Hi, I'm new to this so this might be a bit long but here is my situation. I am 23, almost 24 years old. I had been, until recently, living in the UK for the past 2 years. My visa expired and I was forced to return to Australia. After this I started feeling depressed and my anxiety worsened. I put this down to having to leave a place I loved to move back in with my parents. I started seeing a psychologist about this and it has been really helpful. However, I am struggling to maintain any relationship with my mother. I didn't feel comfortable speaking to her about my anxiety and depression and was content working through things on my own until I did feel ready to speak to her about it (I said this to her a number of times). However she would trap me in situations and try to force me to speak about it. Resulting in her getting extremely upset and angry with me and making me feel terrible. She then called my psychologist without my knowing to ask her what was going on with me. Obviously, this information wasn't given to her and I was told by my psychologist that she had called. Things went downhill from there. I confronted my mother about her calling my psychologist and said I was annoyed but that she could speak to her now that I'd given permission. She became very defensive and now blames my psychologist for telling me she had called and won't agree to speak to her anymore. I feel I cannot be myself around her and so mostly keep to myself (resulting in her getting angry at me for not talking). I was speaking to dad occasionally about the issues with my mum but he seems to have grown tired of hearing it and seems annoyed at me for having these feelings towards her. So I now don't have him to speak to. I don't have many friends here and none which I feel comfortable talking to about these issues. My best friend lives overseas and although we talk regularly, I'm extremely lonely. I go days sometimes without speaking to anyone and I feel I'm at breaking point. I'm almost 24 yet feel my mother is treating me like a child and constantly making me feel bad for not being ready to speak about a personal issue. I have no idea what to do anymore?

Lukeyluke Cannot feel love :(
  • replies: 2

Hi, im luke I'm 28, one night while laying next to my wife in bed a thought crossed my mind ( what if I don't love her) well as soon as that happened instant anxious and feeling sick, that was about 6 weeks ago and I have gone down hill, I just could... View more

Hi, im luke I'm 28, one night while laying next to my wife in bed a thought crossed my mind ( what if I don't love her) well as soon as that happened instant anxious and feeling sick, that was about 6 weeks ago and I have gone down hill, I just could not stop thinking about the though "maybe I don't love her" it made me so worked up and worried, I told her all about it and she was very comforting in saying after 6 years feeling don't just stop, I have gone through bad anxciety and she was my rock through all of that before. i have been to the doctor and she put me on meds and have been starting to see psychiatrist and am getting cognitive behavioural therapy to try and help me.. I just feel so alone and scared I know I really love my wife but my mind tells me otherwise

Miss-Anne-Throwpy trust
  • replies: 4

It's so hard to trust people. Took a chance, no matter how cautiously and the moment I shifted to an inkling feeling of safe, betrayal is exposed. I'd dared to stop expecting it. I trusted. It felt equal and even keeled. It felt real. They were not a... View more

It's so hard to trust people. Took a chance, no matter how cautiously and the moment I shifted to an inkling feeling of safe, betrayal is exposed. I'd dared to stop expecting it. I trusted. It felt equal and even keeled. It felt real. They were not a stranger, or new to me. Why do people lie? Everyone cheats, hurts, betrays. It's like they seek out the most sensitive part to wound and do so in the guise of loyal, non judging friendship. . Prefer alone. People suck the life out of me.

Doolhof I believe my husband has Asperger Syndrome
  • replies: 4

Hi All, Early in my marriage a friend who worked in health told me she believed my husband had Asperger's. I didn't know what to do with that suggestion as 30 years ago Asperger's and Autism was not so commonplace as it is today. Having struggled wit... View more

Hi All, Early in my marriage a friend who worked in health told me she believed my husband had Asperger's. I didn't know what to do with that suggestion as 30 years ago Asperger's and Autism was not so commonplace as it is today. Having struggled with our relationship and how it makes me feel I am reading a book called "Asperger Syndrome and long-term relationships (2nd edition) by Ashley Stanford. As I am reading this book I am having so many "light bulb" moments of recognition both of my how my husband is and how I react to the way he is in return. Over the decades I have accepted my husband is not able to communicate in ways I desire, now I understand more why that is so. My issue is, do I show him the book and suggest I feel this is part of him? If the shoe was on the other foot he would definitely do so. I now realise that is part of his possible Asperger's, to be able to tell me quite openly and forthright every little thing that I do wrong, including letting a pea get under his mash potatoes. I don't recall the last time he laughed or even smiled. He tells me not to look at him and not to touch him. He certainly has the persistent deficits in Social Communication and interaction, repetitive patterns of behaviour, fixated interests, body ticks and so much more the book is opening up to me. Where to from here? That is the question. One thing, I need to read more and learn about this syndrome for the sake of our relationship. Cheers all from Mrs. D.

Hollowshell How can I let it go?
  • replies: 1

Hi everyone this is my first post as I don't know what to do next.. 38yo married father of 3 kids.. feb 2016 my wife of 8years partner for 20, for no reason at all collapsed and proceeded to have 80 seizures over 2 days. All tests were inconclusive a... View more

Hi everyone this is my first post as I don't know what to do next.. 38yo married father of 3 kids.. feb 2016 my wife of 8years partner for 20, for no reason at all collapsed and proceeded to have 80 seizures over 2 days. All tests were inconclusive and ultimately diagnosed with having a dissociative disorder seizures leaving her with limited use of lh side of her body. We owned our own successful business at the time with a really great marriage etc nothing could be better... due to work commitments and her inability to drive for 6weeks we required assistance getting kids to and from school. A neighbor 2 doors away who was a teacher aide at the school offered help. We had lived there for 1.5 years and never said boo to these people before this day. Long story short my elder sister came to see my wife one afternoon and observed my wife asleep on the couch with this lady sitting on the floor stroking her face and whispering in her ear... over the course of 3 months they entered into a same sex relationship with my wife convinced that it's destiny and they shared the truest of loves. As anyone knows school politics there relationship would of been frowned apon so there was an elaborate story of me abusing my children and wife concocted to explain the relationship between them. This was over a period of 6months, I increasingly became manic at the situation with every few days there relationship strengthened???? I went from living at home to staying at my sisters house. Her mental state was erratic due to the constant physio and neuropsychologist appointments. Wtf my wife is heterosexual and over the years that this type of thing has entered our lives she was clear about her sexuality and marriage. We were best friends and soulmates with 3 great kids and a successful business with the future there for the taking. She increasingly was convinced and manipulated by this narcissistic lady into abandoning her entire life and things she stood for. This lady became my children's second mum and manipulated them into believing that I was not a good dad etc Their relationship was found out and the other lady also married backed off and all her lies and deceit was found out. She agreed to move away ( run away) to have a fresh start and I would work in the mines staying in camp m-f and driving home for the weekends.

Little_Red_Rose_Bud Confused, heartbroken and feeling worthless
  • replies: 3

For the past 18months I have been in a relationship with the love of my life. Everything was perfect (well what I would count as perfect). I suffered bad anxiety and stress last year and it was impacting on my health badly. I changed some factors in ... View more

For the past 18months I have been in a relationship with the love of my life. Everything was perfect (well what I would count as perfect). I suffered bad anxiety and stress last year and it was impacting on my health badly. I changed some factors in my life and moved the 2 hours to be with my partner full time. I had a new job, new house, new life, the most amazing partner ever and a beautiful step daughter. We have been talking about kids, Marriage and buying a house. We had ups and downs but everything was great. Recently my partner lost his father rather suddenly. Since then he has been trying to grive but is also feeling very gulilty about only seeing his dad about 4 times in 10 years... Mainly due to being 3 states apart and life getting busy. Now he is also dealing with the normal will issues and family fued issues and trying to hold everything and everyone together. The past 3 odd weeks he has been acting so out of character and being withdraw from me. But we were still having some good days in those bad days. Last week I finally convinced him to talk to me. He broke up with me. Hes only reason being that he has been thinking since his dad has passed and he now doesn't think he wants any more kids and he knows I really do. Apparently he doesn't want me to grow to resent him for it in the future like his parents did to each other. A month ok we had time lines organised to start trying fir kids. Now I get no say in it. He has made the decision. He keeps crying about it when we talk, telling me it's the only reason, that he still cares for me, doesn't hate me. But won't give me the opportunity to think or prove to him that I love him and his daughter more then anything. I've been unwell the past 5 weeks but more so the past 3. I have had numerous tests and apparently I'm all healthy and I might be being diagnosed with depression in the coming week as it's the only way to explain what's going on in my body. But I don't want to except this. There are people much worse then me. I want to be with him, they are my family and I now can't imagine my life without them. If it's because he has decided he now doesn't want kids and he knows I do shouldnt we talk about this first and then it be my descion not his? I'm so confused and my heart is shattered....

cleo1988 Emotional Manipulator/ Toxic Relationship
  • replies: 8

Any general advice for removing oneself from a toxic relationship…? I have been troubled and stuck in this for almost a year. I have tried to break from him many times. Background - i'm 28, he's 41. I'm isolated and lonely I have read some things on ... View more

Any general advice for removing oneself from a toxic relationship…? I have been troubled and stuck in this for almost a year. I have tried to break from him many times. Background - i'm 28, he's 41. I'm isolated and lonely I have read some things on emotional abusers - he does this, to a tee. and Emotional manipulators … - makes you feel guilty for everything - forces his insecurities on you - makes you doubt yourself - makes you responsible for his emotions (also tied in with guilt) - makes you believe that HE wants what YOU want, and vice versa Additionally, i am so disappointed in myself, because people will treat you how you allow them to treat you. I feel disgusted with myself, And its not that he treats me poorly - but he is so pushy and smothering. Its more that I can bear. Please give me the strength to be strong.