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  • #121837
    Magnolia
    Participant

    Hey there. I was wondering if anyone could help me out here. I feel as I am being constantly annoyed by things that my boyfriend does. Small things that really shouldn’t bother me. I’m thinking that it has something to do with me.

    Here’s the background story:
    We met eachother through a mutual friend. In the first few months of our friendship he told me that he liked me and asked me if I felt the same way. At that point I had feelings for another person, so I rejected him but we agreed on staying friends.

    A year went by and we became very close. He became my best friend and my go-to person. I began to miss him the moment he was gone, always thinking of him, always wanting to be with him and talk to him. One night I got really drunk and told him how I felt.

    The issues:
    We have been togehter for 8 months now. To begin with everything was good. We were on that cloud and both very much attracted to one another. Things were mutual. Suddenly I found that it was me contacting him all the time and I started to worry and wonder how much he cared for our relationship. When I told him he said that he thought I was being clingy. I have never heard this from anyone before, in fact I have been told the opposite; that I have been too distant. So I think that this was just me trying to change that.
    When I told him that he was understanding.

    A few weeks went by before the next big argument. I actually ended up breaking up with him. He came back the next day and apologized.
    Again things were fine for some time but then we went out for a birthday party hosted by two of my friends. I know that it can feel uncomfortable being sorrounded by people you don’t know so well, and I knew that he had been out the night before so I had been trying to keep an eye on him. When at one point we were both alone I asked if he wanted to take a walk. We sat down and he asked me how I felt. I told him I was fine and asked why he wanted to know. It seemed odd to me as I felt that I had expressed my feelings clearly. He replied that it didn’t seem like I was having a good time.
    When I asked him later about this, he told me that he didn’t have a good time and wanted to now if I had felt the same way. However, when I took it up again he refused to have ever said this and told me he had asked because he was worried about me. This confuses me a lot.

    We have had similar arguments. Arguments where he changes explanation, or says he don’t remember what was said. Arguments where he refuses to admit that he’s wrong. I know I have trouble with the last thing myself and I am truly trying to work on myself.

    One time after having a conversation about some issues that we had, I asked him if he felt he had gained something from the conversation. He answerd simply “no”. I aksed him to explain and he said he prefered to yell at eachother. I don’t like yelling, but we have talked loudly to eachoteher and when we start doing that, he says to wait untill we are calmed down. This bothers me too, because when a problem occurs I want to solve it right away so I can move on. But he can’t do this. One time after a big fight he simply said he wanted to wait and then fell asleep. I on the other hand was up all night thinking.

    There is tons of other scenarious. The list could go on.
    I know that I have my flaws and problems too and I am trying to work on them. I know I love him but I don’t feel the relationship is always mutual and lately I have started to be annoyed by little things he does.
    Here’s some examples:
    1) Yesterday he was ill and I think he overreacted. I feel I got unnessesary upset because of it and I do in general. I feel like he complains too much and goes to the doctor about the smallest things. I believe this is because we have been raised in very different ways.

    2) He gesticulates a lot when he explains things.
    3) He didn’t come home to me after a christmas dinner with his fellow students as he sometimes does.

    This is things I know I shouldn’t be annoyed about but I can’t help it. It triggers something. Maybe due to all these underlying problems. Maybe it’s due to problems with my self-esteem. I don’t know how to sort this out and get him to work on the relationship.
    If anyone has any advice, please help !

    #121845
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Dear magnoliachrysanthe:

    I wasn’t able to understand the nature of the miscommunication you have with your boyfriend. Clearly you built up some anger toward him. If you were to write him a half page email indicating exactly what you are dissatisfied with (things he can control, not the gesticulations and such), what would it be?

    anita

    #121846
    Anonymous
    Guest

    * post didn’t record, try again…

    #121863
    Magnolia
    Participant

    Hello. Thank you for replying. I know that was a lot. The last examples was examples of things I know I shoulnd’t find annoying yet I do. I think the reason I find these small things annoying is that lately we have had a lot of fights.

    The problems are that we can’t talk about issues because he feel that I talk to him like I am his psycologist but honestly I have tried everything. I don’t know how to adress issues when needed without upsetting him. He changes explanation: One day it’s: Sorry I felt bad and wanted to check if you did as well. The next it’s: Sorry I thought you had a bad night, and I was worried for you. I don’t understand why he can just be real with me and tell the truth.

    #121864
    Magnolia
    Participant

    can’t just be real ****

    #121879
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Dear magnoliachrysanthe:

    It is my understanding, at this point, that the communication problem on your part is significant. what difficulties he has, I don’t know. If I read his post I may get an idea, if there are significant communication problems on his end.

    What I did notice is your problem in communication with him:

    You wrote: ” One day it’s: Sorry I felt bad and wanted to check if you did as well. The next it’s: Sorry I thought you had a bad night, and I was worried for you.”

    The “I felt bad and wanted to check if you did as well” is not contradictory to “I thought you had a bad night, and I was worried for you.” Actually, the two explanations fit, are congruent, consistent.

    My understanding therefore is that you require the same WORDING from him. If he doesn’t say exactly the same thing he said before, you see it as a departure from the truth.

    Him, being subjected to such an unrealistic expectation (to stick to the same wording with no flexibility on your part), gives him a bad feeling about talking and “communicating” with you- he is more in a setting of a courtroom, under the scrutiny of a rigid prosecutor than in a loving relationship where he can just be. Just being a human means not being a robot with a memory and repetition of exact wording.

    anita

    #121883
    Magnolia
    Participant

    Hey Anita. Thank you so much. I think I understand what you are saying.

    A) I wrote the example wrong.
    1) I felt bad or 2) I thought you felt bad

    So, it was either me or him being the victim.
    The first time we talked about this he told me that he felt bad.
    The next time we talked, he told me that he thought I felt bad. However, I felt great and had not given him reason to think anything else.

    This is a matter of contex. If he dosen’t feel good, he should be able to tell me. Without being held back by his pride. Instead he made me think I was the problem.

    You see, I feel like I’m always being the one apologizing.
    Now, this is fair to some extent because I know I have my issues just as he does, but I want a mutual relationship where I don’t always have to bend over backwards for him and think of solutions.

    B) I don’t know how to adress problems because he gets angry when I do. That’s whether I
    1) Try to be nice and talk calmly.
    2) Mention something positive/make a compliment before adressing the issue.
    Or 3) Try to relate to him and then explain my point of view.

    I feel like I am running out of solutions.
    My question is, how can I adress this and other issues when they occur without causing him to be angry?
    Thank you again. I really love him and I want this to work out. 🙂

    #121886
    Magnolia
    Participant

    Just addition:
    (If he had told me he felt bad and wanted to go home from the beginning, I would have been fine with it. I don’t see that as a problem. That would have been fair. I knew he was tired. It was only that he made me feel bad for being the victim even though I had a great night)

    #121888
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Dear magnoliachrysanthe:

    You wrote: “The first time we talked about this he told me that he felt bad.
    The next time we talked, he told me that he thought I felt bad”

    Please notice, open your mind to the possibility that he felt bad AND that he thought that you felt bad. Often a person can feel bad because they are thinking someone they care about is feeling bad.

    The way you understood the above (non) contradiction is that with the first sentence he took responsibility for his feeling bad and in the second sentence he blamed you for him feeling bad. You interpreted it to be either X or Y, when reality is often X AND Y.

    Reads to me that you came into this relationship with a belief, a core belief (one formed in childhood), that you are guilty for other people’s feeling bad. Maybe a parent blamed you for making them feel bad. Maybe you had a parent who felt badly a lot and you felt (as children do) that you caused it.

    So what may be happening is that you are … fighting this core belief, focusing on any sign of you being blamed (when you are blamed… and when you are NOT), and arguing against the accusation.

    Such a core belief can distort your understanding of his verbal input, make you jump the conclusion that something (blaming) is going on when it is not.

    Are you open to consider what I just wrote? let me know.

    anita

    #121891
    Magnolia
    Participant

    Dear Anita. Thank you very much. I understand completely now.

    Our conversation that night:
    Him: How is your night?
    Me: Great. Why?
    Him: It dosen’t seem like you’re having a good time.
    Me: Well, I am. How are you?
    Him: I’m fine as well.
    Talking about it later (him): I felt bad.
    Talking about it again for the 3. time (him): I thought you felt bad.

    I understand now that I might have misread his intention. I thought he wasn’t able to say that he felt bad because he was too proud to do that. Honestly, I had a great night, that is why I didn’t believe him.

    How do you think I should handle problem B) in the former reply?

    #121893
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Dear magnoliachrysanthe:

    How to address issues without him getting angry?

    You tried to Try to be nice and talk calmly, mention something positive/make a compliment before addressing the issue and you Tried to relate to him and then explain my point of view. these methods failed.

    Looking at the latest conversation between the two of you, in parenthesis I will write a possibility (only a possibility or two) of what each person was thinking:

    “Him: How is your night?
    Me: Great. Why? (I am pretending to have a good time, are you saying I am not pretending well enough/I am feeing better than I did before, in comparison I am feeling great, so what is your problem?)

    Him: It dosen’t seem like you’re having a good time. (She definitely looks like she is not having a good time. Why is she lying to me? Or am I crazy..?)

    Me: Well, I am. How are you?
    Him: I’m fine as well. (Why bother be honest with you about how I feel; you are not honest with me!)

    Talking about it later (him): I felt bad. (the truth)
    Talking about it again for the 3. time (him): I thought you felt bad. (You sure looked like you were feeling bad and that made me feel bad.)

    My answer to your question (B) depends on your further reply.

    anita

    #121894
    Magnolia
    Participant

    Dear Anita.

    I understand the examples. I believe that both explanations might have truth to them. However,I am being honest when saying I had a good time. I had been looking forward to this night and celebrating my friends.
    I knew he was tired and tried to look out for him.
    People at the party asked me why he seemed to be so lonely. That’s why I was worried and we went for a walk in the first place.
    I didn’t quite understand why he would assume I didn’t have a good time. I think that is why I misunderstood.

    So, my fault here is misreading his intention and assuming he was lying to protect his own reputation, instead of thinking he was only trying to be caring and good to me. I think this is the opinion I have now built on him and I want to change that. I want to see the truth in what he is doing instead of being blinded by myself.
    – Thank you.

    I hope you’ll help me out with question (B)

    #121899
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Dear magnoliachrysanthe:

    Obviously there has been significant miscommunication between the two of you, brought about by the two of you.

    I would tell him something like this: X, we’ve been fighting on and off for a long time. I want our relationship to change: I want to be each other’s best friend, to feel safe and comfortable to be ourselves with each other.

    I think I often misunderstood what you told me. I don’t want to guess anymore as to what you mean when you say this or that because I guessed wrong. I want to be able to ask you: what did you mean by saying this? I will be asking this only so I can understand what you really meant.

    I want you to be able to ask me the same, and I intend to answer you honestly, without thinking you have ulterior motives for asking me, instead, trusting that you are only trying to understand what I meant by saying something.

    I don’t want to argue and I don’t want talking with each other to be a chore anymore. I want us to learn how to talk with each other simply, clearly, honestly.

    I want us to feel safe with each other, not like enemies, but best friends.

    anita

    #121934
    Vivian McGrath
    Participant

    Dear magnoliachrysanthe

    If you read between the lines of your message there is a theme that is worth considering. You worry about him at a party, you keep an eye on him there. You keep taking responsibility for his behaviour throughout, saying things like: ‘I have flaws, but I am working on them’; ‘I got upset unnecessarily’. Always you, but he never takes responsibility for his behaviour at all.

    You admit that this relationship is not mutual and I tend to agree with you. In fact he sounds to me like someone who is coercively controlling you – using (perhaps subtle) verbal or emotional ‘abuse’ to control you.

    In the beginning he was there, but then pulled away from you soon after. You are possibly walking on eggshells around him as you want to get the nice guy back, not the one who yells at you. The one who was there at the beginning but is elusive now. So you keep trying to change your behaviour to appease him. However, to keep you on your toes he says one thing, then denies it. He says another and denies it again. This is a form of moving the goalposts so he can maintain the control.

    Your focus is now totally on him. And who you can change him into being. And blaming yourself for his behaviour that is unacceptable. I would honestly ask yourself: Is this man good enough for me? Does he bring out the best in me and I in him? Do we have shared values, goals about important things in life? Do I really like this person, not just ‘love’?

    Also consider that love is a verb, not a noun. Watch what he does and not what he says. Does he show you he cares for you? Does he treat you with respect? Being in love shouldn’t be about being in pain.

    Vivian

    #121963
    Magnolia
    Participant

    Anita: I will go talk to him. Thank you for your time and the good replies 🙂

    Vivian: Thanks for your concern.
    You are right. The relationship has sometimes felt like it was going in the wrong direction with bad spirals.
    I hadn’t seen the anger and pride coming, he seemed very subtile and humble when I knew him as a friend.
    I was very annoyed after our last argument, when I asked him upfront if he felt he had learned anything and he just said “no”. As an instance response. I know he didn’t mean it. He has changed positively since. He can be prideful and sometimes childish, he can’t loose arguments and we are both very competitive, but we also learn and make progress.
    I’m sure we will be able to work through anything. Afterall, he waited a year for me, a year where I dated other people right in front of him. I believe the examples I have given has only showed the bad sides of him. I wanted an advice on how to deal with certain issues, so I felt I had to give examples.
    He is still my best friend to this day and he always looks out for me. He cares for all my friends, and has accepted having to deal with some bad personal issues of mine. Once he drove all the way to the inner city, crying, to pick me up because I had intoxicated myself. This is just one out of many examples. The relationship is complicated but one thing is sure. We love eachother dearly and have almost since we met.

    – Thank you both for your comments. It is nice to know you have a place to go and seek help when needed. Stay well and have a nice day. 🙂

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