After a long process of learning about and seeing the characteristics of ADHD in our marriage, our family doc has said that he doesn't think my husband has it(he thinks my husband just needs to work less). Initially, it was suggested by my psychologist that he try Dr. Amen's test. The results revealed more than one type of ADHD was present. I stumbled upon this site one day and we downloaded the book. Listening to it is like sheeting our marriage through a looking glass. After feeling so much hope for what possibly was to come with the diagnosis and attempt toward a treatment plan, I feel deflated. We are going to call the Mental Health Hotline in our city tomorrow. I pray that we can get a referral to see a new doc. Does anyone out there have experience with seeing a physician that told you what you didn't want to hear?
Recent forum posts (all topics)
- Family doc doesn't believe by: gr8ful 10 years 1 month ago
- Read "The ADHD Effect" and HE hasn't!!!!! by: DarkEyes 10 years 1 month ago
Hello - I am new to the forum, and wanted to introduce myself. I've been in a relationship for nearly two years, and recently moved in with him. Although, I suspected he may have had ADD (or ADHD - he's not hyperactive), now that I've moved in, I KNOW. I went to my own counselor yesterday, and she (having a husband that also has ADHD), knew right away, and recommended the book "The ADHD effect on Marriage". We are not married, but he is a widower, and he has a 10 y/o son, whom I love as my own. We did not enter into this relationship lightly. But, here I am, just getting confirmation (not officially tested tho), that he, indeed has ADD, and I'm living with him). My counselor suggested the book yesterday, and I read the whole thing today.
Holy hell. I have a head-full of "knowing", and he is just starting to read the book...couldn't even get thru a discussion on what to have for dinner without arguing. I even tried to use some of the techniques in the book, but they are lost on him, as he has NO IDEA what I'm talking about. So, essentially, I read this book that gave me hope and validated my feelings, and he's looking at me like I'm bat-sh*t crazy. He's meeting with a new counselor tomorrow (and thankfully, ADHD is listed as a specialty), but there is no way that he'll catch up on all that I've read, know and has made me feel better anytime in the next month. Lost, sad, lonely, frustrated, can't communicate, and now I know how his brain is functioning, and he doesn't. Seems like I've thrown fuel onto the fire.
Please advise....tell me to keep my mouth shut, or stay away from him...something....I am practically torturing him right now!!!!!
- ADHD Husband feelings, wants & desires always first by: dogbabbies 10 years 1 month ago
Please tell me how to speak to DH and what words to use where he understands that he is not the only person with feelings? I feel like I am loosing my mind. I feel Emotionally abused and my abuser is making himself out to be the victim. HOW do you respond in a way that ADHD hyper Husband can understand??????? DH demands daily sex, with holds money, shares no details of our finaince, we have had to declare bankrupsy, he gambled, he has refused to make house payment or car payment, any day now I expect people come foreclose. We had big fight last night, I suffer PTSD, he choose to excalate and push buttons, so I am screaming. He comes home for lunch ask what do you want to do tonight??? I told him our daughter wanted to go to sparks but I did not have enough gas in car to take her there & back & to school tom. He wants me to beg him for money, so he can act like he has done this grand gesture, that I would owe him for.......He makes it very clear that HIS feelings are only ones he concerned about and he wants a medal & reward for behaving as a responsible adult. I don't get it. I just told him to leave and that I would not have conversation with him without professional in room with us. Hes convienced he is the abused victim, but he is the one that if I do not meet his demands of sex everyday, is hatefull and says that I am disobedient wife and abusing him. I have absolutly know idea how to talk to DH God gave me and it is destroying me emotionaly and physicaly.........
- not desperate, but needing advice now by: Bluemoose 10 years 1 month ago
I am the ADHD spouse, depression, some PTSD, manipulation and lying issues. I've been kicked out of our house with my son (who's similar to me) and am living in an even more stressful situation right now (my own mother). I feel stressed and dealing with high anxiety about not being with her again. She is simply this, the most amazing, beautiful, and down to earth woman I've ever known. and I've broken my wife's' trust and heart, not an affair physically, but yes one that was emotional. No, I wasn't getting attached emotionally, but affairs don't have to be physical right? I was talking to another woman while my wife was in Texas for 2 weeks, I fully admit it was nice to vent to this woman, was nice to talk to someone, was nice to just relax and not focus on life I guess..There were some similarities that started the talking, she's older, my wife is 36, she's got a kid in college, I've got a kid in college, she had breast cancer, my wife's mom died of it, etc...so my "bright shiny object" distracted me from what I was doing. so over 3000 texts later back and forth, my wife calls me out on it, and it all came unglued. (this is the second time I've done it to her). I've never been so devastated in my entire life. She's the only woman in my 44 years that has called me out on my issues. It's been very difficult recognizing I have a problem. I am on medication for depression and ADHD, but stopped because I'm a man and I thought I could be this...I'm desperate, I want her back so bad, I'm not sleeping, my mind isn't focusing. How can i regain her trust??? Have I done too much damage?? Has anyone told their ADHD spouse to leave and it's worked out? I'm so scared I've done too much that she'll never find me in her heart again! I've got an appointment today to talk to my therapist, but I don't know if that's going to be enough..I've done more reading and research since she's told me to leave, I lay awake all night praying and wanting to fix this...where do I turn, I don't want to be that man again, the liar, the manipulator..how do I cope with my issues and win her heart back???
Broken Moose
- Defensive, Complaining, Lazy, and Bored... and it's MY fault?! by: Apalachicola 10 years 1 month ago
My husband and I have been married for almost 2 years now. It started slow and then we quickly realized we were meant to be and were engaged after 3 months, and married 3 months after that. At the time he was working hard, was super gentlemanly, wanted to step in on my ambitions (I've always been a world traveler- don't expect to stop), and was everything I could have asked for. Regardless of the first few hurdles (his dog who was destroying my life, my travel souvies, my furniture, house, and trying to eat my cat), we went through with the marriage, getting 'stuck' in this town for a total of 1.5 yrs because my traveling reality was his fairytale. After I demanded we leave immediately, or ELSE, it finally happened.
He had ADD/ADHD- I knew it. He knew it. It was clear. But there were a lot of things about him that got worse, and over time, a LOT worse. Most of these things, I hadn't realized were part of the ADD/ADHD, even though I was diagnosed myself in my childhood, but later shook it off. The online tests I take now all say I have a few 'ADD Symptoms', but seem to show it's out of my system, and I feel it is too. But at least I can sort of remember what it was like when I did have it, and I remember the way my brain felt, and sometimes when I'm having an 'ADD moment' now (It's only when the TV or radio is on and someone is yapping and I'm trying to read all at the same time, or when I really need to eat- I have adrenal/thyroid issues), I can understand how he can sometimes be feeling and operating. But! I feel he is fully in control of a lot of his actions, and he needs to actively recognize that he needs to TRY and come up with a solid plan, or this marriage will end. So far, he hasn't shown any interest in fixing these problems, therefore, I have no idea how to move forward.
He refuses counseling, he refuses doctors, and refuses medication.
According to him, it's all me. We go back and forth- I try to talk to him, he thinks I'm trying to argue (and I'm not) and we escalate into a huge argument that he clearly started, that he tells me I started (meanwhile I'm remembering and filing ever piece of ammo he's fired at me into my mental database), and when I give him very clear reason, facts, and statements that came out of his mouth to back up my side, he just tells me he didn't say those things, and that's it's pretty much all me. He then proceeds to hatefully tell me how I missed my calling and should have been a lawyer (but hey- lawyers usually have an obligation to keep their facts straight, so how is that an insult?). Anything that comes out of his mouth is defensive, negative and with a rude tone, but he has NO idea what "tone" is, no matter how hard I try to get him to understand it. It doesn't exist to him.
I'm now at a point where I'm miserable, I've threatened divorce more than once, he's brought me down so far in spirit that I'm so stressed and it shows in my body, mind and health, and I can not sacrifice the beautiful life I was living before him, just because he has ADD/ADHD. He is not the person I married, and this is not how I'm going to live the rest of my life. I would rather troubleshoot and make this work, but I'm lost at how!
Now, watch out. This is a post for the either seriously bored, or the person who is dealing with the same crap and is also hoping we can find a solution to this non-sence together. Lots of venting here.
Here's what we're dealing with...
Defensiveness- He is the most defensive and negative person I've ever known, and he knows it. He says it's caused problems in other relationships (I don't know HOW I pulled that information out of him- must have been a damned good day!), and he says "My Dad has always been that way too, and I don't want to be like him...", so he knows it exists, although I feel lately he's starting to forget. It seems like ANYTHING I say, I don't care if it's, "What do you want to do for dinner tonight?", there is usually a defensively toned answer. I react by slightly raising my voice, he raises his, I raise mine, he raises his, BOOM- argument. There have been many times when I've kept my cool, and I say something like, "Hey, Love? Can you please not talk to me with that tone?" as sweetly and as politely as I can, and that usually triggers a rising tone in his voice and more defensiveness. No winning. This is really bad in "conversations/arguments" because I say something and he's immediately defensive without even THINKing about what I said, and then I can literally say the opposite, and he'll be defensive about that too (clearly contradicting himself), and I sometimes (rarely!!!) do this on purpose just to show and prove to him that he actually is SO defensive that it doesn't matter what I say, he's so defensive about it that he'll literally change his mind without realizing it, just to "defend" himself... And then of course denies any of it, forgets everything, and the argument escalates (and I'm laughing a little bit). In the middle of an argument, I could literally tell him he has a penis and he'd probably say, "NO I DONT!!!". Yeah, bro. You do.
Tone- Everything is sarcastic and defensive. He always has the moody, P*$$y, tone of voice, like he's whining and complaining. I see it in his dad too, and he's quite a bit older and hasn't lost it yet, which makes me wonder how many more years we have of this. He has no idea what tone is. It doesn't exist in his mind.
Who's fault?- He usually blames me for his problems, not accepting fault. If I try to sit and talk to him calmly about something that's causing problems, or if I try to analyze our 'arguments' to see where they actually start so that we can work together to fix them, he's instantly defensive and angry. He will then tell me all of the problems he has with me (ok- that's fine, I'm always open to hear, and I accept responsibility for my lashing back at him), but what's funny is that usually every detail of what he says I'm doing, is word-for-word what HE is doing to me... so there's hypocracy that he doesn't see at all. When I mention that "That's exactly how I feel", or that "Those are the same exact things you're doing to me", the now-argument escalates and he says, "You always throw it back on me!!!". Well, I'm not trying to, but I couldn't have explained it any better myself, so why not just take the opportunity to "ditto it". I feel he usually throws it back on me, yet I'm being blamed or throwing it back on him, when in reality, I'm accepting of my faults and I'm only trying to calmly talk to him about our problems because I would like to try to avoid a divorce. This happens all of the time. Now, when I tell him that I'm researching his ADD/ADHD (I even purchased him a book, and I want to read it too), his response is, "Good! You need to read it too!"
Moodiness- Never happy. Never satisfied. Nothing is ever enough.
Lack of Responsibility- It's not that he can't handle responsibility, it's that he usually doesn't put forth the effort. After a while, I assumed responsibility for most things. (I'll admit, he will jump in sometimes and wash the dishes or take out the trash.) Packing for a trip? He's never done that. I do that for him, and to be honest, I'd be afraid for him to pack his own suitcase. When he can't 'find' anymore clothes to put on (like do you seriously think you only own 3 shirts?) he insists he needs to buy more, as I walk over to a stack of clean laundry and hand him an entire wardrobe he's forgotten exists. I let him pack his fishing stuff and things like that, and I usually find he packs loads of what I think is senseless crap because it never gets used. Like how we needed 6 fishing rods for just him to fish when we went somewhere for him to WORK for a week. He fished one time, and the car was loaded with gear. After a while, he started saying the relationship wasn't 50/50 and that I took control of everything (mostly because I felt if I didn't, nothing would ever get done!), so eventually, I gave him one of my debit cards (I'm the one with banks and I'm the one who pays bills) and his wallet, and the keys, and told him he'd better keep up with it. He misplaces the keys constantly and is forever leaving his wallet in the car now, but he's working on his man card. I also told him that if he wanted to 'do more', he needed to step up and act like it. We've seen a little improvement there, I guess.
He had a job when we were dating, and so did I. He thought perhaps we could live if I quit my job, so I did, and started pursuing my music career and released (later took down) an album. But then he quit HIS job too. Then he thought we could survive off playing gigs at $100/pop, selling artwork and jewelry, and judging contests. It wasn't working, and he was seriously over-spending on things like beer and marijuana. I started teaching surf lessons again, which was our main source of reliable and steady income. But it wasn't enough, so I started back at the cafe I was previously working at for about a month, just while they had some shifts needing to be covered. I was the one who made sure I did what needed to be done to make ends meet, and when they still didn't (after all- we definitely weren't making a living off his paintings or my jewelry- and even my music career had been more successful than those things!), my Grandma was there to help. She's always there, and I often feel that he knows that, so it's good reason to slack and not worry about it, because we'll always have her to fall back on, even though I beg her to stop throwing money at us! He says he refuses to get a full-time job, because he doesn't want to do anything that he doesn't want to do. I can actually relate, since I'm such a free spirit myself, BUT there is a time and place, and sometimes if there's something you want to do (like EAT!), you have to do something you don't want to do- even if it's just temporary. I said to him, "Oh so you thought I WANTED to teach those lessons and go back to the cafe?!" Seriously???? I have been writing this off as a severe lazy bone, but I now see that this is falling under the ADHD category.
Always Bored- I'm ambitious, and I'm usually working on something productive, even if it's some sort of self-knowledge crap I happen to be into at the moment (maybe that's my own little bits of ADD coming out!) Right as I'm planning a productive day... "I'm so boooooored!!!!!!" I seriously need to find this 33 year old man a baby sitter if I'm going to work from home! I can not and will not entertain him. But we're taking a quick break from travels to spend time with family and for me to release my next album, and when we're staying with my family in the town he's relatively unfamiliar with, he's bored to tears, even though he's got plenty to do. My grandma has recently purchased him a new IPad AND a new Samsung Galaxy s4 phone, because while we traveled, he was bored and whiney every time I was on the computer, but when I'd let him use it, I'd be sitting around not being productive and that drove me nuts. He just scrolls through Facebook for HOURS. To me, that's worthless when I'm on the computer networking and building things up for my music career (being productive as far as I can see), and now he's got the computer to play on Facebook. So we got the IPad to 1) keep him entertained and 2) allow him to potentially do some artwork or animation with it, and potentially, HOPEFULLY pursue some sort of career path. This isn't enough, going outside and doing something isn't enough. Someone has to keep him active at all times.
No Direction- He is 33 and has no idea what he wants to do with his life. The career 'path' he's always been on is actually quite toxic and while it does pay the bills, it is mostly seasonal, and he'd have to work in a factory as 'surfboard production'. Having this business on his own costs a lot of money with very little reward. Simply put, it's not going to pay the bills! This is what he has always done, it's the ONLY thing he has experience in (besides judging surf contests and painting) and it's clear it's going to be difficult to make a real living at those things unless he's back in the factory, which he refuses. He needs to be versatile while we're traveling, like how I am usually willing to pick up any work I can because it's worth it just to BE in that country. Remember, he doesn't want to do anything that he doesn't WANT to do, so this is a tough one. Not traveling is not an option. That's what I do, that's what I'm passionate about, and I made that VERY clear before we tied the knot. But he whines and says, "But my only work opportunity is in x(town)." Which is bull. If I try to talk to him about what he wants to do, he gets super defensive and says, 'I don't know and I'm NOT going to figure it out right NOW!!", and I kindly ask him to please think about it and I'll help him do whatever it is he wants to do, and when I wait a few weeks or month and ask again, it's the same story. He doesn't know, and he's nothing thinking, and right now he's got a free pass on my Grandma's dime (I give him credit, he made about $1200 in the last few months) so he seems to not care, as I dilligently work at recording an album, trying to get financial aid and register for online classes, plan for a book I'm writing, and make loads of jewelry to sell at an upcoming festival. Do I WANT to? No... I'd rather be out surfing or doing something fun, but I know I have to plan a future for myself. How do I figure out what this guy wants to DO with his life?!
I Think He Might be 12 Years Old- No really... I think he might be. I feel like I'm raising a kid. And I DON'T want kids... at least not for another 5 years (ok, I'm really thinking like 10)...(minimum). So this is an issue.
Memory- I tell him something, and in a few days when I remind him, it's new information all over again. I'll admit, I forget stuff like that too, but seriously, he's worse. In conversations (which are first accused of being arguments before they actually are, and then of course they become arguments), this is a huge issue because he'll say something and then forget it, and when I tell him what he said, "I did NOT say that!!" OMG. When we lived in Central America, we had to share a shower with several other people, and EVERY SINGLE TIME he went in to take a shower, he'd say, "Now which soap and stuff is ours?" WE LIVED THERE. I will give him a break and say that for a period of about 3 months, he probably totaled 4 showers with soap, maximum, which the most disgusting thing I've ever encountered. The ocean actually isn't a shower. In the apartment we lived in for over a year, he still couldn't remember where things went in the cabinets. An hour ago he handed me the keys, we got in the car and I said, "Did you remember your wallet? and he said, " I gave YOU the wallet AND the keys!!!!" and I reacted saying, "No you didn't!" "Yes I DID!" "No you..." "Oh, here it is... in my pocket." He starts these rants over things so simple as that, because he forgets what he did and didn't do, and I'm being spoken to in a harsh way, getting worked up... Come on! This is wearing on me!
Zero Communication- Literally every time I try to talk to him, it doesn't matter how nice or loving I am, If it's a 'conversation', it's an argument in his mind. We don't have normal people conversations. We don't chat back and forth and share opinions, views, or ideas. As soon I respond to something he's said (you know, that's how conversations work. You speak, I speak, you speak, I speak), he's defensive about it and he thinks I'm trying to argue! And I'm just having a normal conversation! This communication thing is a HUGE problem. I've gotten SO frustrated that I'VE acted like a complete psycho idiot at times (ok, I'm not that bad), but he brings out the worst in me, at least once a day. What is a relationship with no communication?
Addictive personality- His remedy is beer and weed. He drank and smoke a LOT when I met him, and he was living with his brother. He moved in with me shortly after, and I began to notice how much he was consuming and smoking. He slacked off a bit, and eventually, with our budget, I began to nag that if he only MADE enough money to buy his beer each month, then he definitely doesn't need to be buying beer AND $300 in weed each month, when we were already struggling and borrowing money for the rent. But he says weed is his "medicine", therefore it is a necessity, and he is REALLY difficult to be around when he doesn't have it. When I mention that I really don't want to be with someone who is dependent on things, he swears he's NOT dependent on weed (it was my pact to myself before we met that I'd never date/marry a guy who was dependent on meds because they cant travel as easy. That's baggage. Call it selfish, but everyone has their thing.). However, when he doesn't have it, the story changes, and he DOES need it because it's his 'medicine'. Weird, eh? He also doesn't realize that when we drinks, he gets a really mean and hateful, snappy mood.
I think I'll stop here. If anyone has any advice on how I can troubleshoot these issues, I'd really like to save my marriage, or just be happy again. How long should I give him to want to figure this out? How can I help him if I can't even talk to him??
- Help! Should I leave Him?? by: misunderstood89 10 years 1 month ago We have been together for four years. We argue about petty stuff and he doesn't acknowledge me or my feeling. He tends to misread and misinterpret things I say and I how say it. He doesn't even second guess himself. Instead of talking to me like an adult. He lashes out, acts rude and agrumentive. Even when I'm crying in front of him. I try to tell him my feelings but a lot of time he just keeps interrupting me to tell me excuses or just say nasty things to me. I try to be patient because I know he has ADD/ADHD but I feel like I'm losing my mind. If he apologizes at its takes a lot of the time and its forced apology. He comes off really self centered. If I don't ask one I mostly will not get one. Whenever he feels blamed for anything he is not shy about making you feel blamed for it. He will blame himself and then blame me for remembering something. He has a bad memory. He tends to overreact. He can't do simple task sometimes. He has no problem with yelling at me in public. Its so embarrassing. I've actually had someone in the past approach me and she was worried about safety.This is a middle aged man acting like this. I don't think I should be treated like this or put up with this just because it might be part of his ADD. He doesn't have a job. I work and I'm in the middle of getting a new apartment but he would be homeless and live in his car. And doesnt talk to his family. I dont think he has appreciate things I have done for him. He is dependant on me. So I feel bad.. I'm a bad person if I leave him?? I really hate to say this but I feel like a would be abandoning a child because he can't take care of himself.
- Need Feedback by: dogbabbies 10 years 1 month ago
I am 42, add, wife, suffering from ptsd, with adhd, hyper sex drive, husband and we are Blended family. We have been on crazy making, circular communication, unable to resolve conflict for 3-4 years now and I have to get off the crazy train. I have been told that if I would just be a Godly wife, and say yes to sex every time it is requested all, our problems would be solved I just sent my DH this email and was wanting some feedback, Thanks! excuse spelling LOL!
I am choosing TODAY to get off the crazy making cycle with you, It is your choice to join me or not!!
I am angry, and resentful at this moment, and that is mine to resolve, you cant demand I resolve it on your time frame. You have resentments of your own you need to let go of.
Today You can choose to rise above your immeadiate current emotions and feelings and help your wife, you can choose to meet her neglected emotional needs, you can choose to help can yard and house cleaned up OR NOT!
It's your choice!
You can choose to accept that when you neglect your wifes emotional needs, refuse to healthy communication, practice denial, avoidance or withdrawal, it negatively affects your wifes ability to trust, & security, which both affect a WOMANS ability to open up sexually.
Today you can choose to unconditional love and help your wife or not! You can choose to keep doing the same old thing expecting different results or you can choose to try something different.
You can choose to accept that both our actions and behaviors play a part, not just mine!
You can choose to accept that your ability to do the right things depends not on my behavior at all, or you can continue your efforts of control, manipulation, and emotional abuse, that is you choice.
I Love you very much and I am committed to our marriage, I am going to commit to begin taking care of my emotional health, and healing recovery. I will no longer choose to put my emotional health at risk to prove my love or commitment to our marriage. You can choose to support me or not. You can choose unconditional love or not, those are your choices.
You can choose to accept that all the information I have sent your affect our marriage, OR not, its your choice I am going to choice healthy behaviors and choose not to be manipulated by anyone elses unhealthy behaviors.
I apolozie for screaming at lunch please forgive me.
I am going to choose not to scream at you any more to try and get you to hear me, you can choose to hear, and read exactly what I am saying or your can choose to hear or read with your feelings, its your choice. I am choicing HEALTHY. If we disagree on what healthy looks like and you refuse to trust factual documented material, please discuss that with your therapist or doctor and we will agree to disagree, with out manipulation, control, or screaming.
If you feel that what I have stated above is incorrect, I give you permission to print of and show to your therapist, dr. for their opinion, please do not send me a angry reply stating that you feel I am being controlling or attacking by this email. Please show to whom ever for an opinion.
You can choose to have healthy realistic expectations or not, that is your choice, please do not blame me if I do not meet your expectation for lack of knowing what it is, your time frame, or what ever. We each are responsible for managing our own expectations.
You can choose to accept that we each are responsible for any negative thoughts, perceptions, or conclusions, that might be totally incorrect and not valid of what the other is saying or doing.
You can choose to accept where I am today or not!!
I am willing to healthily negotiate any issue with you using healthy communication skills.
Again, I am sorry I screamed at you I was wrong please forgive me.
I Love you and I am committed to our marriage, I MUST get off this crazy carousel we have been on for years!!!!!!
Love,
Your Wife
- Dread and Fear of Not Enough by: Standing 10 years 1 month ago I open the frig and I see bread and cheese, juice, some sliced meats, eggs, butter, and milk. The cupboards.. soups and oats, tuna and peanut butter, the freeze... Fish and veggies. Not alot, but enough... with options. He looks and sees: "I have no food." Now there are 3 different meats, boxed desserts, freeze bulging with pizzas, and some exotic coffee for me. I like plain coffee, but what does that matter, it looked cool on the shelf. What does it matter? Appearances bring calm and a semblance of normalcy. I stopped cooking ages ago because he only wants his Favorites. He will Say: "I like everything you make" to maintain the illusion. In reality, much is wasted. So I opted out and open a can of soup or hard boil some eggs for lunches. Some folks should not be allowed into a Sam's club. Anyone want a 25 pound sack of rice? This particular self-soothing method is revolting to me at several levels. 1) So much waste! 2) Too much money spent unnecessarily. 3) I am a minimalist and find it frustrating to have anything too jam-packed. 4) Beneath it all is the lie - that because there is all this stuff, anything good or useful will come out of it. We live a mile from a grocery shop. There was no need. Boredom, lack of impulse control, childish cravings indulged.. and i did not even get the pleasure of opening " my " can of coffee. He did. He does not even drink coffee. 10 days of good rest, in another room, freed from his constant stream of self expression. I am returning to myself and seeing more clearly all of the many ways in which I have been invisible and irrelevant to him, all along.
- Feeling unheard, alone and overwhelmed by: beckyroxs 10 years 1 month ago
Me and my H are currently in counseling. I feel as if nothing will help. he says one thing in front of people and on the phone and the next day, BAM who is this man who just went against everything he promised. Wed this week he asked me to meet up and talk(since we are living separate). I love him still so I went he says to me he got rid of video games and his social media because they're distractions. saying it's his first step to handling his symptoms that are killing our marriage and at times i think my health and well being(Im handling our baby, household and his entire life while struggling with Generalized anxiety disorder). Thursday we go to counseling he says he wants to fix things, blah blah blah and Friday I sign into facebook while my son naps to talk to a friend in another state and BAM there is his facebook up and running. I confronted him about lying to my face and he says well he took it down but put it back up because he needed "someone's number"( is someone a woman he sees or a friend I dont know, i dont even know why he needed the number) and that he took it down....a bald face lie again as it is still up. this conversation is immediately followed by him leaving me and my son alone again.
If i say one thing he doesnt like or call him out on a lie he runs on us.
Im at the end of my rope, It's almost my one year anniversary we live in seperate houses, Im thinking about divorce and he wont allow me to be part of his life in anyway other than sitting in my kitchen for an hour a day.
Is anyone else having these issues?
Does anyone have any advice?
I feel so hopeless and alone
- Do mindmaps help? by: kamikaze 10 years 1 month ago
Hello everyone,
I'm a women from Belgium, since 3 months I have a relationship and yes my partner has ADHD, he told me from the begining and after 2 months I start to notice that we react on things completelly different. So I bought myself a book ADHD relationships, witch brought me to this site. The book is a huge confrontation for me.
When I just bought it my partner said immediately, I also should read this ... I was very happy to notice that he knows that it's a way we have to travel together. But I also know that he isn't a book reader although he knows that it will help us.
So I thought be myself... how can I handle this??? Than I came to this: I make a huge mindmap with lots of paintings and collars and of course the most important information we can use at this moment and I hang it in my desk when it is completely finished. There will be a moment that he walks in and then I simply let hem know that I made it for us. In the first case because I know he isn't a reader and in the second case so I can always see why things don't go the way I may be expect them to go and to see the tips everyday, so I know for myself what I should do and shouldn't do...
If it doesn't work out... no problem I'll find something else. One thing is for sure for me it will work to remind me of how different we are.
In daylife I speak Dutch, so if there are mistakes in my text.. I'm sorry for that.
Greetz Karen