I think my girlfriend gave me PTSD. She used to vent to me a lot about her depression, and even begged me to stay quiet when she tried to take her own life (I was young and too scared to tell anyone). Now, I can't stop worrying when she gets even the slightest bit upset. Her mental health has greatly improved now but I lose sleep over her getting stressed about a test and hide my own problems from her to keep her happy...
asked by someone ·
5 replies
- someone who replied
It sounds like this situation has put you under a lot of pressure, and you are not yet free of it. I'm sprry to hear that. You shouldn't have to cary that weight. I think working through these past experiences and their impact on your current life with a therapist could be very helpful. Have you contacted anyone about it?
- someone who replied
Yeah sounds like you are shouldering a lot of her problems and it’s negatively impacting you. Do you have enough faith in her and your relationship to get through it? Or is it shaking your commitment to her?
- the person who asked
No I haven't. I'm worried bringing this up with my girlfriend because I know she will start to hide her own feelings so she won't worry me, which isn't what I want. I also don't have the money for therapy, so that's off the table.
- the person who asked
I want to get through this so it won't impact our relationship. I don't hold anything against her for this, it isn't her fault. I always let her come to me when she was feeling down, I never set boundaries for myself. I never even thought about this being possible and doubt she did either.
- someone who replied, again
I admire your commitment. Last I’ll say about it is if it gets to a point where you feel like you are compromising yourself and your future, time for a different conversation. In terms of boundaries, you are exactly right. That’s what you should be thinking about. Where does it feel like you’ve opened the door a bit too much? I think that if you talk to her about it in the right way, you can probably work on it together
