Home→Forums→Relationships→Recovering from depression and anxiety, and starting a new Relationship
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March 6, 2016 at 4:16 am #98139MarieParticipant
Hi everyone,
I need older people’s advice as people my age are not very helpful. My boyfriend and I are at university and met a few months ago. Obviously it is a time when both of us are growing up and doubting ourselves. Until last spring/summer, I never opened to anyone but I lost many relatives and all my sadness about losing my mother as a child burst out in the form of anxiety and depression, and my boyfriend of the time let me down. I have seeked help, whether professional, medical and from my loved ones. However I still experience a lot of anxiety (I guess it can be seen from the overwhelming analysis in my post), and I am naturally very sensitive. My new boyfriend and I really care about each other but I know I can put a lot of pressure on him because of being anxious. And at the same time he’s trying to find himself, and lacks confidence and thus avoids things. I know we can work this out, as we both genuinely want to be together. Difficulty is I am so anxiously impatient and him anxiously avoidant. But we both are aware of that. It’s just that we’re young and do not know how to get over this. One other thing: as a result of never opening up before, I express my feelings a lot now, and ask help to others. On the other hand, my boyfriend only opens up to me, as I feel he is scared because other people immaturely judge him a lot for his actions.Thank you for any feedback
March 6, 2016 at 7:16 am #98141AnonymousGuestDear Marie:
My advice to you is: open up to your boyfriend in moderation, in small amounts here and there, not too much and too often.
Here, on this thread, you can open up as much as you feel like and go on and on. I am interested to read and can handle the information you will present here, on this forum. Your boyfriend, on the other hand, is young and anxious and can handle only so much before he gets overwhelmed. The fact that he is emotionally involved with you makes him being overly sensitive to your anxiety. So in moderation, or else he understandably gets overwhelmed, avoids or withdraws.
When you share with him about your anxiety, do so gently. Be honest and real and authentic, absolutely, but remember you are talking to a person with fear, with anxiety of his own. Let him share his anxiety with you and be each other safe place to express your fears, and comfort each other. When you share with him and he comforts you, let him know that he was helpful, that you appreciate him listening and that you appreciate his empathy and encouragement. It is very important that he does not feel helpless or useless in the face of your distress, that he feels he has a positive affect on you!
This relationship is a great opportunity for the two of you, if you are both honest with each other, to heal much of this anxiety, or at least to calm each other, and over time, the anxiety on both sides will lessen.
Please do post again and share about your relationship, if you’d like. I for one will reply every time you do. You can also share about your life otherwise, past included, as here, no moderation on your part is required!
anita
March 7, 2016 at 1:37 am #98258AnonymousInactiveHello Marie,
It’s really wonderful to know that you and your boyfriend support each other through your differences and most importantly accept each other for that. As none of us can never be perfect but as long as you two can look each other in the eyes every day, even if it’s just for a minute or two by embracing each other with love, patience, support and understanding. You are already achieving something really great together by being a team and supporting one another, even if it’s just the little things here and there. Nothing wrong with your boyfriend only wanting to be open with you, as that is something very special and sacred he has in his heart for you.
Stay beautiful & loving souls. <3
M.
April 10, 2016 at 5:22 am #101413MarieParticipantHello again.
Thank you for your replies, it is much appreciated.
Unfortunately my relationship has not worked out as I feel like we were both not ready. Him not being emotionnally mature and me not knowing how to behave. I feel that I’ve let my anxiety and depression take over me as I was in a really vulnerable state and had never been that close to anyone before. I am trying to recover but do not really know who to talk to as everyone around me is biased or even my father who isn’t has already got issues with his hopefully-soon-ex-girlfriend.I am scared this is going to happen again and again as I am naturally a very sensitive person and opening my heart to someone makes all the emotions inside of me go wild.
Thank you for your support x
April 10, 2016 at 8:54 am #101421AnonymousGuestDear Marie:
It seems to me that you are quite overwhelmed by your anxiety and much of it has to do with the fact that your mother died. Your father has a girlfriend you don’t like.
Would you like to share more about your mother, what was the relationship with her like..How did her death affect you…What is your relationship with your father like…Did he help you deal with your mother’s death, did he comfort you… or did you comfort him most of the time… what is the relationship with his girlfriend, how long has she been his girlfriend…?
anita
April 10, 2016 at 4:21 pm #101452MarieParticipantI lost my mother when I was very young. My older sister took on quite a lot of the responsibility of looking after my brother and I, thus our relationships are fairly complicated but I think she is finally letting go of that burden. Regarding my father, I think he’s never felt like he had proper support since the death of my mother. My mother’s family imposed themseleves and what they thought would be best for us although they themselves did not know what was best for them.
I know I am quite similar to my mother and so is the rest of my family as we are very independent, some people say we are “free”. I guess what I took on from my mother is my caring trait and my frankness. I have very few memories of her but those reflect her caring character, for other people and animals.
My father’s girlfriend it seems, has never been happy and she already has a history of finding partners that would be “responsible” for her. My father is quite devoted to her so it has taken him a long time to realise the relationship was just one-way. I genuinely have try to like his girlfriend but felt from the beginning it was dragging my father down rather than pushing him up. That again, I am not the only to see. And I want him to be happy so did not want to spit on the relationship. Whatsoever I know he’ll never find someone like my mother but I know he can find someone who will correspond to him.
It just seems sometimes that I am so sensitive that I understand really well people’s behaviours, therefore when I talk with my father, he realizes things in people that I’ve known forever. That is why it is quite hard to find someone who can emotionally support me as I barely know anyone who’s got similar acute emotional senses. And it is hard for other people to understand my sensitivity, but I do not blame them for that.April 10, 2016 at 6:43 pm #101455AnonymousGuestDear Marie:
I read your last post twice as well as your previous posts on this thread. I am trying to understand you better and need more in that aim:
You wrote repeatedly that you are sensitive. When you write that you are sensitive, what do you mean by “sensitive”- how does your sensitivity expresses itself?
You also wrote that you are independent. What do you mean by independent?
You wrote that you are not used to open up to others; that you started opening up to your boyfriend (now your ex boyfriend) for the first time, is this correct?
anita
April 10, 2016 at 7:38 pm #101456AnonymousGuest* One more thing, Marie, your older sister: how many years older than you and how old was she when your mother died? What is your “fairly complicated” relationship with her like?
anita
April 10, 2016 at 10:58 pm #101502MarieParticipantHi,
I am sensitive in the way that I am really empathetic and thus I understand people really well, it’s really easy to have a deep connection with most people I meet, I do have many friends and acquaintances. My mother wanted us to be able to communicate well as her old-school family did not really help with her and her brothers and sisters shyness. (I have many uncles and aunts on both sides) But I have trouble putting barriers so that I do not get overwhelmed by others emotions and mine thus I spend a lot of time on my own. Which is one of the reasons I am very independent as I go on doing things on my own like going to a concert, things ‘most’ people would do with others.My father has made us travel and move places a lot because he wants us to see the world. He’s wanted us to be autonomous since we were little. He doesnt really know how to ask for help so I never really did until last year. I am studying abroad, earn a “living” etc.
My sister was around 6 when my mother passed away and I was four. My father barely mentioned my mother until I asked him to last year, he did not want to hurt us. Thus I did not know much about my mother (scarcely knew what she studied/if she worked) until recently.
I was told a few times by my mother’s cousin however that I reminded her of her as she was quite free, really honest and laughing all the time. (sounds very cheesy I know, but in reality people find those features about me weird)April 10, 2016 at 11:19 pm #101503MarieParticipant* ths relationship with my sister is complicated as I am one of the only persons who has challenged her balance(really imbalanced though). She’s put on a lot on her shoulders, mostly shows her nice face(happy/ sometimes sad) to others but when it comes to our close family she lets out all her frustration on us. It did impact my self-condidence and self-love a lot as a child as she was one of my biggest figures of authority and thus did not realuze what she was saying did not reflect who I was really. Noone has ever really told her that she did not have to be so ‘responsible’ (she thought she should be bossy to replace our mother), not even my father as they both supported each other’s balance. I am not holding a grudge against them but I see where my insecuritues came from. Now that I am mature enough to distinguish myself from others, I have started questionning my sister’s behaviour and the fact that she would impose her views on everything in my close family. I on the other hand am more likely to listen to others but realized last year that I should start listening to myself too, and not just the small voice emphasizing all my flaws whether existant or not.
April 10, 2016 at 11:23 pm #101504MarieParticipantI have a question: Why does it seem that most people, including my psychologist, always deviate to my family rather than my romantic relationships ? I really do not know how relationships work, as I never really had an example, or just blinded muself as getting close to other people scared me.
April 11, 2016 at 12:07 am #101505AnonymousInactiveYour sister being bossy is not love, she enjoys controlling other people and being a dictator. Not healthy and I’m glad you were able to see that in her and stand your ground about what decisions are best for you. Not what she believes is best for you, as you are the only one who knows yourself better than anyone, family or not. About your boyfriend; If he’s not mature and doesn’t know how to behave in a serious relationship, then that is really good to realize that, the relationship wasn’t a healthy one for you. You made the right choice by letting him go.
Stay positive and continue to love yourself like you are…<3
Sending you so much love, positivity and light.
M.
April 11, 2016 at 9:21 am #101530AnonymousGuestDear Marie:
As to your last question: why do people, including your psychologist, focus (or “deviate” ) on your family dynamics, history instead of focusing on your later-in-life relationships with men? For one, the family is where you, as a child, became who you are today. These years are called “Formative Years” because you were formed then. In addition to it, your relationships with men, as I understand (and correct me if I am wrong) have been short-lived, too short perhaps to focus on?
In an earlier post on this thread, you wrote: “I feel that I’ve let my anxiety and depression take over me as I was in a really vulnerable state and had never been that close to anyone before.” regarding your ex boyfriend. You wrote though that you were never close to “anyone” before. I am thinking: maybe you were not close to your father or your siblings, or your mother’s siblings (uncles and aunts).. I am thinking you were not close with your father, maybe, because he didn’t tell you much about your mother. He moved you around a lot so you can see the world, but didn’t let you see, figuratively, his emotions (about your mother and her death, for one)?
As you can see, I have more questions, but it may be worthy for you to answer them. It is your choice. My aim, again, is to get better understanding of you so to be able to help, I hope.
anita
April 11, 2016 at 11:08 am #101544MarieParticipantWell, my father was the person I was closest too but talking about emotions was always something really hard. Same with my siblings.
I feel like what I was shut out of what I needed most and understood best in my life: emotions. Maybe I partially did that to myself as I was always there for others, I have always been very supportive but always shut myself out as I was ashamed and scared of opening up to anyone.The thing I am wondering is why my last relationship lasted so shortly, we did like each other very much but I know my mental health issues put a lot of pressure on both of us, not that I am the only one responsible in the situation.
I sometimes feel like I am searching for the impossible, ie emotional support from my mother.
Although I do realize two of my friends have always been very supportive although they have mental health issues or their family members have.The reason why I am saying everyone focuses so much on my family history is that I feel like I’ve been able to detangle everything and finally have realized what was dragging me down, at least I have understood it better than any of my relatives. I do love my family but they are very overwhelming and do no have a balance between friends, family, job etc. They all live close to each other and are not able to see the bigger picture. I am tired of being suffocated by my family and I want to move on from so many years of “oppression”, although they did take care of us and I grew up with most of my cousins. I just feel like I share very little values with most of my uncles and aunts, my cousins but the one I was raised with. And even them do not make much effort to make contact with me.
April 11, 2016 at 11:18 am #101545AnonymousGuestDear Marie:
About your last relationship, I agree with you that the two of you share the responsibility for the nature of it and the fact that it ended when it did. You are not the only person with ‘mental health issues”- I think most people, if not all people have mental health issues. I think to Live is to have Mental health issues. But I digress.
I think it is very meaningful, what you wrote about searching for the emotional support from your mother.
You wrote that you are very empathetic to others but according to your last post, you are not empathetic enough to yourself. I figure this because you wrote above that you were “ashamed and scared of opening up to anyone.”
I am going for a long walk now but I have more to write to you. Could you elaborate on being “ashamed and scared of opening up to anyone”- would like to respond when I am back in a bit more than an hour.
anita
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