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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU to question staying after four years if he is unsure?

23 replies

TheOpalFox · 22/07/2026 18:19

Would you be with someone if you have been with them 4 years and they weren’t sure if they wanna be with you or not?
I have major anxiety and I think it’s pushed him away 😞
Now he’s not sure if he wants to be with me or not?

OP posts:
Neveranynamesleft · 22/07/2026 18:20

Ask yourself just what exactly you get from the relationship....Are you happy??

StJulian2023 · 22/07/2026 18:20

Of course I wouldn’t!

rubyslippers · 22/07/2026 18:21

Anything other than a resounding yes I want to be with you, is a no

Duvetdayneeded · 22/07/2026 18:21

No. I would walk away as you’re worth more than this. He’s just waiting for someone ‘better’ to come along.

stargirl27 · 22/07/2026 18:22

no i wouldnt

SowWhatNow · 22/07/2026 18:22

In what context are they not sure? E.g. not sure on marriage, not sure on cohabiting, not sure on just plodding along beside one another?

Are you happy? Are they happy?

outerspacepotato · 22/07/2026 18:22

You're a place marker until someone he really wants comes along.

Is that ok with you?

HappyToSmile · 22/07/2026 18:23

If someone told me they weren't sure they wanted to be with me, I like to think it would take the decision out of their hands and end it. I don't want to be with someone who "isn't sure"

Imightbeinthewronghere · 22/07/2026 18:24

Make the decision for him - if after 4 years he hasn't made up his mind, he isn't going to!

TheOpalFox · 22/07/2026 18:28

Imightbeinthewronghere · 22/07/2026 18:24

Make the decision for him - if after 4 years he hasn't made up his mind, he isn't going to!

he said because of my anxiety

OP posts:
ThePM · 22/07/2026 18:32

TheOpalFox · 22/07/2026 18:28

he said because of my anxiety

So what? You may well find your anxiety massively improves when you make a few choices and decisions and learn that you can survive them, getting safely to the other side.

its just an excuse anyway.

Hopefulsalmon · 22/07/2026 18:32

How does your anxiety manifest in the relationship?

OneCalmFish · 22/07/2026 18:38

TheOpalFox · 22/07/2026 18:19

Would you be with someone if you have been with them 4 years and they weren’t sure if they wanna be with you or not?
I have major anxiety and I think it’s pushed him away 😞
Now he’s not sure if he wants to be with me or not?

Nope for several reasons I would walk away if in your shoes.
Four years of being together and knowing each other and he’s saying that!
I’m assuming you’ve always had anxiety, also like most sufferers if you could control it or had a choice, then you wouldn’t have it right?
What are you expected to do here, magically be cured, pretend you’re fine or pander to him out of gratitude he chooses to stay?

whippersnapper55 · 22/07/2026 22:16

If he's not sure, I would take the decision out of his hands and tell him to go. I wouldn't want to be with someone who wasn't sure if he wanted to be with me!

TheOpalFox · 22/07/2026 22:17

whippersnapper55 · 22/07/2026 22:16

If he's not sure, I would take the decision out of his hands and tell him to go. I wouldn't want to be with someone who wasn't sure if he wanted to be with me!

he said he can’t cope with my anxiety

OP posts:
Loulou4022 · 23/07/2026 12:16

TheOpalFox · 22/07/2026 22:17

he said he can’t cope with my anxiety

If he can’t cope with your anxiety after 4 years he’s never going to be able to cope with it!

TheOpalFox · 23/07/2026 13:26

Loulou4022 · 23/07/2026 12:16

If he can’t cope with your anxiety after 4 years he’s never going to be able to cope with it!

Why does it hurt so much :(

OP posts:
PauliesWalnuts · 23/07/2026 13:28

I walked after four years with no progress. Turned out he didn't even actually love me. I was just a convenience. Really sucks when you love and miss him but a relationship can't go one way.

Loulou4022 · 23/07/2026 13:30

TheOpalFox · 23/07/2026 13:26

Why does it hurt so much :(

He’s just not your forever person, that person is still out there working their way towards you. I was 41 before I found my forever person and all the crappy bits that went before were just making me stronger and into the person that I am that my forever person fell in love with.

aliasfrog · 23/07/2026 13:56

You also might find your anxiety improves no longer being in an unhealthy relationship

Imightbeinthewronghere · Yesterday 17:38

TheOpalFox · 22/07/2026 22:17

he said he can’t cope with my anxiety

In that case make the decision for him, have some self respect

MarkRuffaloCrumble · Yesterday 18:12

Hopefulsalmon · 22/07/2026 18:32

How does your anxiety manifest in the relationship?

I agree this is important.

My DP suffers with anxiety and tbh it can be really hard at times to remain supportive and understanding when it overtakes everything. I sometimes felt I was being lost and had no voice in the relationship, almost like he was taking up all the space and his were the only needs that mattered. I wasn’t getting any of the things one needs from a relationship, I ended up feeling like a cross between his mum and his therapist.

We took a break, remaining friends, he tried some new medication, found other avenues for support and we’ve since got back together. We’re getting on so much better now that he doesn’t lean quite so heavily on me and he’s able to be an equal and supportive partner.

He was really hurt and said it was his worst fear that he was a burden to those he loved, but he also understood that it’s hard for me, as he’s been on the other side of the situation with an ex and knows the toll it can take on a partner when you’re deep in depression or anxiety.

Obviously without knowing the exact impact it has I can’t say for sure, but if you’re anything like my DP, it’s not fair to treat your partner as being unreasonable for wanting his relationship to bring him some joy and happiness, and not to just be a one sided thing where he has to commit to a lifetime of essentially being a carer. Be honest with yourself about how this relationship benefits each of you, and whether he’s really unreasonable for wanting to give it some more time before agreeing that this is his life forever.

That’s not to say I don’t have huge sympathy for you dealing with this but I don’t think the flippant posts saying to get some self respect and dump him are really seeing the bigger picture.

Lurkingandlearning · Yesterday 18:51

TheOpalFox · 23/07/2026 13:26

Why does it hurt so much :(

Because it's still current and raw. Once the relationship is finished, you will gradually heal and hurt less. At some point you won't hurt at all.

Getting some help to manage your anxiety, or maybe even heal that too, will make it hurt less quicker. It will also help to ensure you don't find yourself in the same situation with someone different in the future.

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