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Ghengis71
Casual Contributor

Ended and left feeling confused.

Hi ,My girlfriend ended our relationship by a text message and has cut me off completely..in her message she told me she suffered from severe anxiety and that she had been struggling with our relationship because of an argument we had 8 months ago that she couldn't let go..the break up is out of the blue completely..we had been living together for about a year and we were in love and happy, I moved in with her because at the time I was working out of state so I left my job and moved in with her,but not long after I noticed I was doing all the domestic duties,keeping the house clean,cooking paying the bills which was fine because she was still working and we wanted to travel..so I kept this up but I was also paying for her debt she had with her ex husband over some property that couldn't sell..I loved her and I was committed from the beginning so I took the whole package..so the day came where we put everything into storage and we took a few months off to go travelling we hired a kombi van for a month and drove around NZ for a month..but then I noticed I was still doing all the work paying for groceries and petrol,flights,basically everything and I started feeling tired and overwhelmed..we had an argument about it, I apologised because I didn't communicate my feelings I just snapped..and I was hoping it was over and we could move forward but I found 6 months later I was still apologieseing for that argument,we continued travelling to Indonesia for a few weeks then She came back to Australia to start a new job and spend time with her mum while I waited back in Indonesia because I was going to start a new job and once that started we were going to relocate to the job and begin a life together..Instead she sent me a text message saying it's over then she has completely cut me off.. I feel kind of used,but when she told me about her condition I researched severe anxiety and reached out to friends who live with it..and well I'm trying to understand what just happened..

5 REPLIES 5

Re: Ended and left feeling confused.

Hi @Ghengis71,

I suffer from anxiety too, and it can get quite severe at times. At the moment I'm feeling Ok.

I don't know if anxiety itself would lead me to end a long-term relationship by text message... I think that is more of a personal decision and was influenced by your ex-partner's personality more than anything else. 

Relationships are complex things which take on a life of their own. It's hard to give any kind of advice when you know so little about someone else's relationship and can only see it from the outside looking in. Smiley Wink

I wonder did you ever have an inkling that your ex-girlfrined suffered from anxiety, or was the break-up the first time she ever mentioned it?  Was she just very good at hiding all her symptoms (and some people are) or did you have concerns about her behavior that led you to believe she might have some psychological issues?

Not ever doing any housework nor paying any bills are not really symptoms of anxiety, as far as I am aware.... although I am no expert!  I believe these are more signs of immaturity and having a sense of 'entitlement'.  Although, if your ex-girlfrined were chronically depressed, she might have been unmotivated and found it difficult to initiate things. But you said that she went to work, so she was obviously motivated enough to do that. Did she take a lot of sick leave? 

I have heard about relationships like yours where the man does absolutely everything and the woman just sits around, enjoying herself.  My first thought is always "Like, Wow, that must be extrememly pleasant!!",  because I tend to be the one who does pretty much everything around the house, all the time. 

But ultimately, I think relationships should be give and take. It makes perfect sense to me that you began to feel overwhelmed and tired, given your situation.  Anyone would. Don't beat yourself up about the argument. All couples argue... it's perfectly natural and you had a right to express your needs. 

 

 

 

Re: Ended and left feeling confused.

okay I'm lots of different people's 'ex partner' then re sickies sense of entitlement immaturity depression ..sounds like a good fit @Sahara sorry to butt in

Re: Ended and left feeling confused.

Thank you both for your comments it means a lot to me, I understand relationships can be a challenge but when someone has severe anxiety that brings new challenges that I knew nothing about..she didn't really speak about it and I asked her to hell me understand it..just feeling confused and abandoned right now trying to understand.

Re: Ended and left feeling confused.

@Ghengis71, relationship break-ups are always difficult.... especially when they come out of the blue. You may have just chosen someone who was never going to be able to commit to you. Sometimes it's hard to know who has the strength and ability to see a committed relationship through. If you take a look at someone's background and relationship history you might be able to get a general idea.... also you have to take into account how much insight that person has into their own actions.

For example, I knew a guy who had been married 3 times and was looking seriously for wife number 4. Smiley Wink When he described his previous marriages to me, at no time did he ever take any responsibility for what went wrong in any of those marriages! He was destined never to learn anything or make any effort to change his ways.

He, for example would not have been good at committing to relationships. Your ex-girlfriend might have been something like that, too.

 

Re: Ended and left feeling confused.

Hi Sahara.. I do know her last relationship her husband of a few years fell out of love with her and walked out..then a year later we met..this break up has been one of the hardest ones to understand..since the break up and when she told me she suffered from severe anxiety I started researching and talking to friends who live with it..and it sounds awful..but it's also changed me,it's given me some awareness of it..and I feel like I want to be more sensitive to other people's feelings.. I spoke to a counsellor the other day,she told me to try and look through my ex partners eyes,I'm hurting now but I know it will pass eventually..but she will be hurting also,and one day she may realise she lost someone who loved her and wanted to work with her and stand by her..my friends suggested I go back to her and stand in front of her and fight for our relationship,but the counsellor suggested I give it space and time to let things heal.
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