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Relationships

Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

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Tell me this means nothing bad

278 replies

Cantthinkofanameeee · 27/04/2020 09:41

I have been in a seemingly happy relationship for nearly 6 years.Partner has been nothing but great.We have children together & hes been an attentive partner and dad throughout it all...pregnancy...Childbirth...Everything.He works hard.Comes home with a smile on his face.Helps clean...Does diy...Cuddles me..tells me I'm beautiful all the time...Sex is great...I've never felt an issue...I've been in abusive relationships prior to him...VERY abusive.And it has lasted on me.Im a very insecure person.I have OCD & Body dismorphia...I self loathe a lot.And he is reassuring and very supportive.Ive had councilling medication & cbt over the years when I flare up...And I suffered quite bad post natal depression after our first child...we have a young baby and after she was born I found out he had been working along side a girl at his construction job...And it sent my health down badly.I felt like 1.Im so insecure hes too scared to even tell me hes been working with a woman so our relationship clearly isnt as great as I thought.And he must hate me.Ect...que self pity! OR 2.All my insecurities from the past are real and he isnt the prince charming...hes been having an affair with her...And hes just like the rest of them...He said it was because he didnt want to make me worry or feel insecure.So it is what it is...we talked it through...I apologised and told him it's my fault and I need to work on my self esteem so he doesnt feel the need to lie to me...And that's what I've been doing...Councilling...medication...And looking forward to being a better me for him...THEN...I sent him a returns label to his email...To return something for me...He couldnt find it...so I tried looking...I went in his spam box and saw porn invites...Invites to "meet" and fuck...Ect...I felt like dying...He has denied all knowledge...I've clicked on the links and it either says sorry error no website found or just offers me to sign up...I've basically become very unwell...typed his email into every website possible to see if hes a member...harassed him night and day to be honest...does he watch porn? (Weve had this convo and he says before we met and he was single he watched porn...but he doesnt need to now) but I cant drop it...why would he get these emails...He says they sell your email address...its age and gender defined...Or old porn use ect...Fast forward a month I've not dropped it...And finally 2 days ago he admitted he has watched porn occasionally out of habit...Its a quick wank...Its not cheating he just knew how I would feel so hes lied...It doesnt mean anything about me or how he feels about me...he can take it or leave it..and since I broke down about the girl at work he realised how vulnerable I was and stopped all use because he knew how it would make me feel...he still denies the spam emails are related...He doesnt pay or use web cams...Hes not signed up to ANYTHING...Its a quick scroll on porn hub if I'm out with freinds or before the odd bath...And hes so so sorry...hes cried...I've cried and tbh I feel suicidal...I know my mental health is prob the reason for all of this and I'm in the wrong...But I feel so unwanted...like hes had a secret life I'm not part of...him looking at someone else and her making him turned on hurts my heart so badly...I've lost weight...ive not eaten for days.I lay awake til 3 4 in the morning imaging him looking at these women...I feel like hes not the same to me anymore...And that all these years are lies...I am going to seek help...but with the virus I know I wont be able to see anyone...I've had thoughts of driving my car into a wall...I'm such a mess and I just dont have another heartbreak left in me...can any man or woman please explain porn to me in a honest way...I am an attractive female...so people tell me...Im slim.Ive had breast implants after my baby so I'm not saggy in that area...I take care of myself...And we do have a good regular sex life...What's happening here?...please be kind...I'm very fragile right now...I know I'm to blame because I'm over bearing...

OP posts:
backseatcookers · 23/05/2020 14:07

And when I rationalise I did believe and feel this is right and can be fixed but the negative anxious person inside pushes through and tells me the opposite which is why I ask here for honesty and hopefully reassurance

This relationship rationally cannot be fixed.

Some of the anxious, negative feelings you speak of of you are your gut knowing that you are in an unhappy relationship but not wanting to end it.

Some of them are caused by being with someone who has lied to you consistently and convincingly.

You've had honesty.

You say you also hoped for reassurance. Well that hasn't happened because people wouldn't be being honest if they said this relationship was healthy.

Feel reassured people believe you can stop feeling this way and can get healthy. You just can't do it in this relationship.

Yes I know from bipolar about spiralling etc - of course I do, which is why I have worked hard in therapy, tried meds until the right ones worked for my bipolar and my epilepsy which is pretty shitty, let relationships that were unhealthy even though it was very sad and sacrificed a lot to focus on my mental health and get to a place where I am happy and in a healthy, fun, secure and loving relationship.

I am not saying it's easy. I didn't want to say all this because it's not a race to the bottom but I don't think it's coming across how close to this stuff I am, I'm not just speaking from some ivory tower.

I started life in foster care and have had a pretty shitty hand since. Full of trauma, full of upset, full of abuse in childhood and adult life. Bipolar. Anxiety. ADHD. And now following a huge car crash, metalwork galore and epilepsy.

Trust me, I do understand. And I know that you cannot realistically work on getting healthy and mentally stable while still in a relationship which has caused and is continuing to cause some of that trauma.

You're prolonging your own agony, worsening your mental health and modelling terrible relationship dynamics to your children.

I hope you can get support from professionals to stop this.

Queenoftheashes · 23/05/2020 14:35

So he’s lied to you and you’re annoyed and blaming him for your rumination over the last month. You’ve had the choice of leaving him or having it out and staying put. You can’t continue to blame his behaviour for your obsessive intrusive thoughts. That’s your MH disorder and you need to get it sorted.

Bettysnow · 23/05/2020 15:08

As I previously said none of us are perfect and the majority of us although good people have told white lies or withheld our true thoughts in order to protect another person from hurt. Very few people are 100% honest all of the time.
He didn't tell you because he didn't want to loose you. He knew this would cause you trauma. Then why did he do it you ask? Likely he believes deep down that he isn't really doing anything wrong which in the grand scheme of things is a valid point. I still despise porn and have seen first hand the damage cannabis can do when abused however I accept now that not everyone thinks as I do. Accepting difference has been my key to helping myself. I used to get so angry if anyone did anything that I didn't agree with regardless how trivial. Not healthy.
Sadly we also live in a "throw away" society nowadays where if something is broken it is tossed away without any attempt to fix it. Overall good relationships that have gotten damaged are binned way too quickly at the first sign of difficulty.
Your overall relationship sounds pretty good to me and I think if you can sit together and talk then really can continue to build a good life together. You will get loads of different opinions here but only you know deep in your heart which is the right one for you and your relationship

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