Feeling too much pressure in a relationship?
Background information: my boyfriend and I have been dating for about a month and a half. We had a relationship before a couple of years ago, which ended for various reasons. I moved abroad a few days after we started going out, so our relationship is long distance. We used to just talk over facebook, but now we skype a lot of the time. He has depression, anxiety, and OCD. I have Asperger Syndrome and (not diagnosed) depression and anxiety too. We both self harm, though we are both trying to stop.
Basically I feel very pressured to talk with him. It sounds horrible, but I feel better when we aren't constantly talking. I prefer to talk by typing to him and not having to look at each other much, like we have to over skype, but I know that he needs it. I've told him this before but it's hard to explain it properly to him. I get very anxious at the thought of having to have a conversation over skype, and because of that I've often just not gone online. I know he needs emotional support, but I'm finding it hard to give it to him when I'm not as sociable and empathetic or sympathetic, even though I know what he's going through.
I feel like I'm not good enough for him in this sense. I'm not fulfilling his relationship needs, as I can hardly talk with him, and he's over-fulfilling mine by just being himself. I feel bad about that, but the amount he wants to talk is far more than the amount I can stand talking. I do love him, I think. Feelings are pretty confusing though. I just don't know what to do about this situation, and recently I've been thinking about breaking up with him as it would allow him to find someone much more suited to his needs. I'm just worried that he would do something irrational because of it. He's already extremely depressed, and I don't want to add to that.
I'm very sorry for the long post, I just needed to get this out somewhere. Can anyone help? Thanks.
yournamehere
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Joined: 22 Oct 2013
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,673
Location: Roaming 150 square miles somewhere in north america
We are taking it very slowly, don't worry. It's just that talking to each other is be a thing couples of any age should be able to do.
Also I've been self harming for all of my life, particularly in the last five years. It's the same with him. Neither of us are doing it because we think it's trendy; we both really struggle with it.
I have been to the doctor about feeling depressed, and I have been referred to the hospital to get a therapist.
My issues in this thread don't lie with mental health or self harm, but with my inability to communicate and relate to the person I am going out with. Thank you for your concern though.
When I started talking with my now husband, where we were in a long distance relationship for the first year, I had some trouble with long phone calls. We worked this out by doing more shorter phone calls with an emphasis of talking him home from work (he was working 12 hr shifts when we started talking).
Find a way where you can both communicate comfortably regularly. Communication is important to a relationship.
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