Specifically the Relationships board (have NC for this). I am just thinking about what I might have posted at different points through my 20s and early 30s.
'We've been together for years, can't imagine not being together, but we're not talking much any more, let alone having sex, and he shuts himself in the back room every evening, just sitting on his own staring into the dark. It's like we're strangers, I don't know if there's something wrong with him, with me, or what.'
'We've only just got together and it's incredibly passionate and exciting. He says he's crazy about me, can't stand to be without me. My friends don't like him though, and that's making things really difficult because I'm quite sociable. He says they're snobby and my male friends are all after me and let's move abroad (he's got a job offer) where it can be just us.'
'He's from a different culture to me and his parents don't know we're in a relationship.I don't even know if i want it to be serious yet, but he's constantly talking about how they expect him to have an arranged marriage and how they wouldn't approve of me for this or that reason. And he never stays over at the weekend, or invites me to things as his GF, so I feel as if I am an OW or something - though he's definitely not married.'
'He's a lot older than me, and I'm not really 'into' him, but I enjoy his company and I feel like there's probably not a perfect match out there for me anyway, so is it so bad to settle for this?'
For the record, I did work it out eventually, and have been married to lovely DH for nearly 10 years, with 3 DC. I just think I could have saved myself a lot of time and angst by recognising the non-uniqueness of my situation and seeing what was actually going on. I know I'd probably have got annoyed at the responses and flounced. But maybe some of them would have filtered through and I'd have cut the strings sooner rather than letting things play out to the slow, painful end each time.