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I Love Him But He's Driving Me Nuts

Discussion in 'Family, Friends, and Relationships' started by thepandaboss, Oct 6, 2015.

  1. thepandaboss

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    I've posted previously about a lot of the issues I've had with my partner, his family, and my living situation in the past.

    To sum it up, I was living with my partner for about eight months, renting out a room from his mother. It wasn't a good living situation- his mother had both substance abuse issues and had a tendency to get violent. Plus, my partner was out of work, making it impossible for the two of us to find a better place to live. It was also a huge financial strain on me. Not only did I have rent to pay but I had my own bills to worry about, his bills, and his mother even pressured me into paying the water bill.

    After eight months I finally had enough with even trying to make things better and I moved back to my home state. While I'm living with relatives at the moment I'm in a much better place financially and will be able to move into my own place very soon. As you can imagine the current living situation is both a lot less stressful and gives me better access to work opportunities. I actually have a better job now and the housing market is a lot more affordable up here. I'll probably have my own place within the next few moths.

    My partner and I, after a lot of talking, decided to continue on with a long distance relationship, on the condition that he look for work, get a job, and start saving up so that he can be financially independent.

    But to be honest, I don't know anymore. He hasn't even tried looking for work even after I left even though he continues to promise he will, he always demands I call or text him constantly even if I'm working, and he gets jealous if I try to spend any time with family or go out. Sometimes if I take more than 5-10 minutes replying to a text he'll get moody.

    In fact, I sometimes have to lie if I do anything like go see a movie because of how jealous he gets of me having fun without him. When I lived with him, we never went out and did anything even when we could afford it because he either didn't want to, wasn't in the mood, or didn't want to do anything I wanted to.

    When I first left and moved back home, I changed my profile picture on Facebook from a picture of us to a picture of just me and he did the same thing. But he later changed his back to a couples picture and is guilting me into changing mine back, saying that "people won't know we're together" if I don't. That's just one of many things he keeps begging me to do.

    He also recently announced that he doesn't want me to ever get top surgery because he "likes my chest". While I'm not entirely sold on getting top surgery, that really bothers me because I get dysphoric a lot of the time and I have to bind before I can even think about leaving the house. It's like he expects me to bind forever just so when I get home he can look at my chest.

    I'm really bothered by a lot of this. The problem is, I don't know how to approach any of it. Every time we've talked about me, say, not replying immediately to a text or him getting a job, he says he'll do better and then it's like I never said anything the next day.

    He's the first partner I've ever had. And I feel guilty about even thinking about ending it, even though part of me really wants to. When I moved out, my boyfriend initially broke up with me. And to be really honest? I was relieved when he did. And sometimes I wish he'd be the one to break up with me just so I wouldn't have to.

    I'm really not happy anymore and I sometimes have trouble remembering what I liked about him. He was caring, intelligent, insightful but that got quickly overshadowed by both his lack of a job, his mother, and these other issues.

    TL;DR: I used to live with boyfriend. We briefly broke up, now back together long distance. Relationship is troubled- he's controlling, clingy, and I wanted space. I'm in a better situation now than I was when I was living with him but our relationship didn't get better. What do I do?
     
    #1 thepandaboss, Oct 6, 2015
    Last edited: Oct 6, 2015
  2. loveislove01

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    From a non-emotional standpoint, this sounds rather unhealthy for a relationship. Despite my age, I am in a relationship that is pretty serious and I admit, I'm the clingy one here. (Over the course of a few months, I and my girlfriend are both resolving our issues, I've gotten a lot better as well) But, the fact that you said there is no improvement indicates that it's probably not going to get better, and eventually you'll reach a point where you will be unhappy enough to the point that you will leave.

    If there was a slight improvement and you could see it getting better and it being a happy, healthy relationship soon enough, then it would be more advisable to stay, as long as you're not getting hurt.

    So, the main question is, do you see it getting better? And will it hurt you in the long run?

    I do see why you're still staying in it, not all of the reason you are, but partially. It may kind of be because of the familiarity of staying in a relationship.
     
  3. Aspen

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    I remember your posts on WAYT and I'm glad to hear that things are going well out from under their roof.

    I agree with loveislove01, it doesn't sound like the best relationship. Especially considering he wants you to be in contact with him even when you're at work and gets jealous when you go out. Does he really expect you to sit at home and talk only to him? You shouldn't have to lie to him just to have fun, it's important to have your own life. He definitely shouldn't be pushing you not to get top surgery just to satisfy him.

    As for the Facebook picture, what does it matter if people do or don't know that you're together? It sounds like he might be very insecure about the state of your relationship and is relying on concrete symbols like Facebook pictures and cutting you off from having a life to make himself feel better.

    It can be hard to end a relationship, even if you know it's not going to work out, because it's scary to get back out there. It sounds like that's what you want, though, and that you'll be a lot happier for it in the end. It sounds like your relationship has grown toxic.

    If you want to continue to pursue the relationship, I think you need a serious talk with him. About all of it. Just remember, in order for someone to change, they have to want to. To be honest, I'm not sure your boyfriend fits that description. It might be better to rip off the Band-aid now and move on. You deserve better.
     
  4. lucky28

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    I completely agree with loveislove01. I was in an abusive relationship for a year and a half (with the opposite gender, so I think I pulled one back on her with the whole gay thing woo) and I see a lot of similarites between what the emotional abuse was towards me and what made it escalate to a physically abusive relationship. (Still have some scars.) Luckily, this is long distance and you have the space to make your decision. Whatever it is, do what's best for you!!

    Lovingly,
    Jacob