is anxiety ruining my relationship?
for a backstory i live as an immigrant in a conservative country with my parents. i have a boyfriend who i love and he’s very affectionate (PDA…etc) although i struggle with physical touch as a result of my childhood trauma i feel safe enough with him but every time we are in public and he wants to show affection i reject him and start feeling super anxious and like im suffocating. i started noticing that when i do this he gets sad and he says my anxiety is controlling me. and i really don’t know how to change that because when he touches me all i think about is the consequence of being seen like that in this conservative society i live in and i get uncomfortable. and rejecting him every time gives me so much pain. how do i handle this? can it ruin my relationship?
@dynamicCurrent1077
Hello,
I completely understand this. It will not ruin your relationship if you put in work. One thing I would recommend is explaining this to your boyfriend because he may be feeling like you just don't want him to touch you because you don't like him and that is not the case. Remember that this is a lot for both of you to process and may take both of you time to realize these barriers and figure out ways to move past them. Hope this helps!
Dreamer