Relationships

Create a new post for topic
Join the Conversation on
Relationships
85.6K people
0 stories
20.4K posts
About Relationships Show topic details
Explore Our Newsletters
What's New in Relationships
All
Stories
Posts
Videos
Latest
Trending
Post

I gave everything for her now ive lost everything for her

I'm currently sitting on the edge of my sofa bed at my parents' house in Cornwall, with tears in my eyes. Just a few days ago, I was in Glasgow, living with my partner of almost five years.

We had been working on my website together. She was kissing me, telling me how proud she was of the progress I'd made. Later that day, we were making love and telling each other we loved each other. We were making plans for Christmas, talking about getting married and looking at houses.

Just two days later, she was looking me in the eye and telling me she didn't love me anymore.

I honestly cannot begin to describe what that did to me. I experienced the biggest autistic meltdown I've ever had. I was screaming, had to be restrained, and much of what happened afterwards is a blur. I still feel as though I'm waiting to wake up and discover it was all a nightmare.

Now I'm back in Cornwall, living in a small annexe at my parents' house. No partner, no home of my own, no friends, no job and no real direction in life.

Perhaps one of the hardest things is that I simply cannot understand how this happened. How can someone be telling you they love you, making love to you and talking about your future together, and then just two days later say they don't love you anymore? I keep going over everything in my head, trying to find an explanation or something I missed. I don't know whether she had been feeling this way for a long time or whether something changed. I just cannot make sense of it.

I've always struggled with relationships, largely because of my autism and the anxiety and overthinking that come with it. From the beginning, I was terrified that the relationship would eventually end because of something I'd said or done.

Looking back, I think that fear may have put a strain on things. For example, when she became upset, she needed space and wanted to be left alone. But I found that incredibly difficult because I would become consumed by thoughts about what she was thinking and whether she was going to leave me. I now torture myself thinking about all the times I should have given her the space she asked for. I feel as though my fear of losing her may have contributed to losing her.

I've also struggled to find work and to make a life for myself. I honestly don't feel as though I understand how to 'do life' in the way other people seem to. I've never had a particularly strong support network, and relationships have been the only times I've really felt that I wasn't alone.

I'm nearly 42, and I cannot bear the thought of spending the rest of my life without someone to share it with. I want the ordinary things that most people probably take for granted: someone to hold hands with, cuddle, talk to, come home to and make plans with. I even feel lonely when I'm with my own family.

I'm struggling with this so badly that I've been having thoughts about not wanting to be alive. I've seen my doctor and he’s already put me on diazepam, but I honestly don't know where to go from here.

I don't know what I'm going to do now.

Post
See full photo

How Anxiety Consumes Your Body

Anxiety can often look different from what you might expect. Though many people may associate anxiety with worry or restlessness, many symptoms can show up in ways that at first seem unrelated.

For example, you may struggle with persistent physical discomfort or with making decisions that seem simple to others. You might find yourself irritable without fully understanding why. These experiences can make it hard to recognize what’s happening. When anxiety doesn’t show up as racing thoughts or panic, it can masquerade as something else. This can leave people confused about why daily life may feel so exhausting.

Physical Symptoms That Seem Unrelated

Your body often signals anxiety before your mind fully registers it.

Chronic muscle tension: particularly in your jaw, neck, or shoulders.

Frequent migraines or headaches: these may seem to appear without clear triggers.

Digestive issues: such as nausea, stomach pain, or changes in appetite.

Persistent fatigue: that sleep doesn’t necessarily resolve; or difficulty falling asleep even when you're tired.

Unexplained aches and pains: that move through different parts of your body.

These physical experiences can feel disconnected from anxiety because they don’t involve obvious worry or fear. People sometimes seek out a medical explanation, only to find that tests come back normal. Physical symptoms can often show up with anxiety because your nervous system stays heightened -- even if your thoughts may be calm.

The Perfectionism Connection

Anxiety often drives a need for control that can appear as perfectionism. You might spend excessive time on tasks because nothing you do feels sufficient. The fear of doing something wrong or disappointing others can shape your choices in ways that constrain your life.

This perfectionism can often stem from underlying anxiety about being judged or failing. High-functioning anxiety traits like perfectionism can also make your struggle invisible to others. You may appear competent and together on the outside while simultaneously internally experiencing significant distress.

Decision-Making Becomes Exhausting

Decisions, even minor ones, can cause intense discomfort. You might spend hours researching simple purchases or change your mind repeatedly about plans, or bigger things like relationships, where to live, or career. The fear of making the wrong decision can create paralysis. It may feel difficult to commit to anything without attempting to find full certainty of the outcome of the decision first.

This pattern can reflect underlying fears in commitment and difficulty in accepting the unfamiliar. When you finally make a decision, you may continue second-guessing yourself long afterward due to the anxiety being carried.

Irritability and Low Frustration Tolerance

Anxiety can also include irritability that seems disproportionate to the situation. Small inconveniences may trigger amplified reactions. You may find yourself lashing out or being short or cold with people you care about, or feel overwhelmed by disruptions to your routine.

This irritability can stem from the internal tension that anxiety often creates. When you're anxious, your nervous system tends to be operating on high alert, leaving little capacity to tolerate additional stress. What others seem to be absorbing easily can feel intolerable when you’re already managing so much internal chaos.

Constant Mental Noise

When you're mentally anxious, your mind may feel perpetually busy without focusing on anything specific. It may feel like a simmering unease: it may not feel the same as intense worry, but it's also noticeable internally that you're not feeling at peace.

This mental noise can interfere with concentration and even compromise your memory. You may notice yourself forgetting conversations or missing details because your attention is divided across multiple internal concerns.

Avoidance Justified As Preference

High-functioning anxiety can also include avoidance that is disguised as making personal decisions. For example, you may decline social invitations and say you prefer staying home. It may feel easier to dismiss situations that are anxiety-inducing rather than to face the unwanted feelings. This subtle avoidance has a way of gradually narrowing people's lives until their world feels very small. It may be hard to realize just how much anxiety influences these decisions since they are disguised as voluntary, rather than the result of fear and anxiety.

Along with anxiety and other areas, one of my specialties is working with people who have a fear a flying. It can be very easy for people who struggle with flying anxiety to find reasons not to take trips, feeling that they're exercising personal preference, while deeper down these decisions are being guided by fear and anxiety. This can play out similarly with daily activities like avoiding socializing, avoiding conversations and feelings, certain experiences, and more. What seems like is choosing personal preference in these moments is really the avoidance of anxiety.

While some people may not see this as an issue -- why is it bad to avoid if avoiding makes your anxiety go away -- the answer is that it often keeps people more isolated, not doing the things they want to be able to do, shrinking their world, and living in fear. Eventually, your world diminishes without you realizing it. Avoidance can leave you feeling alone, disconnected and unfulfilled, depressed, and actually usually increases overall anxiety (even if it may relieve it momentarily), sometimes even setting the stage for panic attacks.

Moving Forward From Anxiety

When the internal experience of anxiety doesn’t match your expectations of what anxiety should look like, it can persist unrecognized for years, allowing it strengthen and start to take over in various ways. If you've noticed it becoming harder to feel comfortable in your own body, it may be a good time to start exploring further.

#Anxiety #MentalHealth #SomaticSymptomandRelatedDisorders #Headache #Migraine #phobias

Most common user reactionsMost common user reactions 5 reactions
Post
See full photo

Psych ward #Depression #Anxiety #PTSD #Hope #FamilyAndFriends #Relationships #MentalHealth

I remember the first time I was an inpatient at a psychiatric hospital. In my mind I had pictured something quite draconian and scary. I was very pleasantly surprised by the caring nature of the staff and also other patients. The only noticeable difference between the wards there and a regular hospital was the doors to the ward were locked and we were subject to a bag search on admission.

There are pockets of prejudice still around at times. My attitude is anyone courageous enough to admit they need to be there are heroes to me. I read a story yesterday that almost brought me to tears. A young man was very concerned and nervous when he was admitted to a psychiatric hospital.

A nurse said to him, “Remember there are no crazy people in here, just people who didn’t get the help they need in time”.

How beautiful, so true.

Most common user reactions 9 reactions • 1 comment
Post

My current state of understanding

Hi I just prayed to a lady I met online , I am not sure what lead me to it aside from sadness that she has made a life while we chatted and no longer needs me to chat which all it was but it was every night for 2 years before it slowed down then a few times a week for 3 more years I thought we were going to met an have a child because she asked if I was interested and I was , but two weeks ago I found out she had a child while we were chatting around the two year mark when the chatting slowed down . I today told her I was going to start talking to other people because she seems to busy and don’t seem into me and like an hour later she posted a video having sex asking how’s the camera angle look on this . Well I told her it looked really good to be with her . And now I’m hurt that the video was a response to my remark of going to start talking to others . I also got to mention that when she asked if I wanted a child o got happy and told her about the trauma in my child hood and it reminded me of things that caused what I think was hyper sexuality and I started to talk about sex and that’s when things went wrong with our chat I just didn’t know she went to do it instead of talk to me about it . I’m so hurt that I did that and idk what to do now . And so a while ago I texted her a prayer 🙏 me praying to her explaining and asking for forgiveness for asking about sex when we chatted because I feel it’s why she went to go do that . I M not sure if all this makes sense but I’m Sorry I regret ruining what she was after with me . I’m emotionally hurt at the moment and idk how to deal with it much less what to do ? Some came here to nark on my stupidity that made me remember because I was happy and comfortable telling her about it so we could know each other it royally failed an I lost her . Am I apologize about the bad punctuation I’m currently studying for a ged and well I’m learning that
Can you help ? Do you know any thoughts words that might help me understand so I can let it go ? I already lost her I just don’t want to stay feeling like I’m missing the love & Heart she made me feel . This is hurtful for me . And I forgot to mention that when I think of sex it catches my attention so I forget about the stuff that hurts me and I think it’s why I did that because I told her everything pretty much and I remembered it all talking about it so I think the hyper sexless me hiding an trying to forget all that stuff I talked about that stayed fresh in my mind after that it ruined me. God I’m so sorry I feel Regret that I told her . #Trauma #PTSD #Depression #PTSD #Sadness #Prayer #disappointment #ADHD #Advice #relationship

(edited)
Most common user reactions 2 reactions
Post

My current state of understanding

Hi I just prayed to a lady I met online , I am not sure what lead me to it aside from sadness that she has made a life while we chatted and no longer needs me to chat which all it was but it was every night for 2 years before it slowed down then a few times a week for 3 more years I thought we were going to met an have a child because she asked if I was interested and I was , but two weeks ago I found out she had a child while we were chatting around the two year mark when the chatting slowed down . I today told her I was going to start talking to other people because she seems to busy and don’t seem into me and like an hour later she posted a video having sex asking how’s the camera angle look on this . Well I told her it looked really good to be with her . And now I’m hurt that the video was a response to my remark of going to start talking to others . I also got to mention that when she asked if I wanted a child o got happy and told her about the trauma in my child hood and it reminded me of things that caused what I think was hyper sexuality and I started to talk about sex and that’s when things went wrong with our chat I just didn’t know she went to do it instead of talk to me about it . I’m so hurt that I did that and idk what to do now . And so a while ago I texted her a prayer 🙏 me praying to her explaining and asking for forgiveness for asking about sex when we chatted because I feel it’s why she went to go do that . I M not sure if all this makes sense but I’m Sorry I regret ruining what she was after with me . I’m emotionally hurt at the moment and idk how to deal with it much less what to do ? Some came here to nark on my stupidity that made me remember because I was happy and comfortable telling her about it so we could know each other it royally failed an I lost her . Am I apologize about the bad punctuation I’m currently studying for a ged and well I’m learning that
Can you help ? Do you know any thoughts words that might help me understand so I can let it go ? I already lost her I just don’t want to stay feeling like I’m missing the love & Heart she made me feel . This is hurtful for me . And I forgot to mention that when I think of sex it catches my attention so I forget about the stuff that hurts me and I think it’s why I did that because I told her everything pretty much and I remembered it all talking about it so I think the hyper sexless me hiding an trying to forget all that stuff I talked about that stayed fresh in my mind after that it ruined me. God I’m so sorry I feel Regret that I told her . #Trauma #PTSD #Depression #PTSD #Sadness #Prayer #disappointment #ADHD #Advice #relationship

(edited)
Most common user reactions 2 reactions
Post

Brain Dump

This is my first post, so I’m not sure if this is the right place to post this, but figured I would give it a shot. I’m a 43yr old man from TX, married 11 years and have been diagnosed with ADHD, depression and anxiety for the majority of my adult life. I’m in weekly therapy and on various medications for the above mentioned issues. My wife and I have been struggling on and off throughout our relationship with various issues and recently I have been told that I have been psychologically abusing her. Specifically during our fights I fall into the habit of defensiveness and gaslighting her. Being labeled an abuser is a tough pill to swallow and in no way shape or form is my intention to do this. My gaslighting results in an extremely volatile response from her and it is getting harder and harder to come back from these giant blow ups. Being labeled an abused also plays into the shame issues that I have which I know can be exacerbated by ADHD. I guess I am just looking for support, perspective, advice etc. it’s a weird feeling and is something that I will be addressing with my therapist in depth, but really just looking for thoughts or tools and techniques to address this. #Abuse #MentalHealth

Most common user reactionsMost common user reactions 13 reactions • 5 comments