Mental Health • rebelpulse85 • 6d ago

TW: My boyfriend [22M] discovered that I (21F) had a relapse last night, and I'm feeling really bad about it. What steps can we take to move forward?

Last night, I (21F) spent the evening with my boyfriend (22M). We enjoyed dinner and were watching Netflix when things became a bit more intimate. He placed his hand on my waist, which was a sensitive area for me. I quickly moved his hand away, and he asked if I was okay. I responded a bit abruptly that I was fine. He seemed to sense something was off and asked if I had a cut; I admitted I did. When he inquired whether I had done it myself, I said yes. At that moment, he was lying next to me and held me tightly. I noticed he had fallen silent, and then I felt tears on my neck. When I asked if he was alright, he broke down and sobbed uncontrollably. I told him I was sorry, and he reassured me it was okay. He wasn’t angry; instead, he suggested that I should move in with him to ensure I was safe. I insisted that I was okay and tried to calm him down, but he replied, “it’s clearly not.” He then asked when I had harmed myself and if it was the first time since we started dating. He knew about my past struggles with self-harm and mental health before we got together, but he had never treated me differently because of it. I told him that it wasn’t the first time and that I had self-harmed about two months ago, which I regretted mentioning afterward. Afterward, he went to the bathroom and returned with tissues for me. I hadn’t cried yet, but I ended up needing them. He sat against the wall on his bed, avoiding eye contact with me for hours while I sat at the foot of the bed, feeling too ashamed to look at him either. I cried, feeling as though I deserved the pain I had caused myself the day before, and I felt terrible for hurting him. I think he was processing everything because, at midnight, he pulled me into a hug, and we stayed like that for a long time. He kissed my forehead and told me he loves me. I still felt ashamed and unworthy of him, so I continued to cry. We eventually fell asleep, and in the morning, we cuddled again, but we haven't talked about it since. Should I bring it up? What should I say? I don’t want to keep apologizing since I know it might annoy him after he already said it was okay. I can tell he isn’t angry with me, but it also feels like there’s an unspoken weight in the air.


marslightning83 • 6d ago
How do you feel about discussing your feelings and experiences with your boyfriend to foster better communication between you both?