Advice needed

[bananarbabe]

Hi all,

My anxiety has been getting worse the last few months. I'm trying to address the issue by making some changes in my life and trying to participate in therapy again but am having a problem.

I feel like my boyfriend has not been as supportive about this issue and the stress behind this and other things in my life. We argue a lot more and I am starting to think about ending the relationship because of the arguments and the judgmental feelings I think he has. I feel like I have to supress how I'm feeling just to make him happy and thats not how I work. Any advice on how to maintain your relationships while dealing with this? Do you just end the relationship?

Thanks.

[Lilith1980]

Hi Bananarbabe

I have been through a similar situation where my relationship has suffered due to anxiety and because my partner found it hard to deal with.

Its bound to be a strain on a relationship but it is important that you feel supported. I dont think your b/f necessarily needs to understand because I dont think people can understand anxiety unless they have been through it themselves.

Myself and my b/f decided to take the step and go for counselling together which has been the best decision we made. But I guess our problems were not just to do with my anxiety - it was also to do with a lack of communication on both sides.

We are getting on so much better now and whereas we were arguing almost everyday about something or other, we have only had a couple of rows within the last 3 weeks which is a major step for us.

Maybe you should print off some of the information from this site and ask him to read it just so he can get an idea of how you feel and what you have to deal with from day to day.

How long have you been together hun?

If you both want to make it work then it will require effort to get through tough periods like this.

You never know hun, maybe he gets frustrated because he cannot help you and because he cannot get his head round it. That's why my b/f got so annoyed.

You shouldnt have to tread on egg shells and supress feelings for fear of upsetting him though. You should be able to talk to him about how you feel. So I think maybe you need to sit him down and try and explain your feelings, give him some information from the site.

Let us know how you get on hun :hugs:

Jo xxxxx