Am I overreacting?
I (26 f) have been dating my boyfriend (25 m) for 3 months now. Everything has been great, but I feel like the effort is lacking from his side, and I might grow resentful for all the effort I'm putting in.
Some background: last year, I was blindsided and dumped by my ex. I was going through a hard time, and that was like the cherry on top of all the chaos. I still struggle with the effect it had on me (fear of abandonment, not truly knowing someone, etc.). With a broken heart, I tried to heal by burying my feelings via flings and wasting my time on people who didn't care, and in the end hurt me more. I took a short time to stay single and recover, before meeting my now boyfriend. He comes from a disfuncional family, not being shown a lot of love and affection growing up. He has two kids from two different women (relationships that didn't work out) and has 50/50 custody on the youngest, but the oldest he has most of the time. We live a few hours apart, and our schedules are not aligned for the most part, so visiting can be hard. We would text and FaceTime all the time, but now it's like he rarely ever responds, and I'm the only one starting the conversation usually. He doesn't call, and when I went over last time, he spent most of the time playing video games with his friends, and turned down sex because he was "too stressed." I get it, he recently lost a family member he was close to, he has the responsibility of two kids most of the time, and he just got laid off from his job, and has had trouble finding another one. Not to mention, he can barely afford gas, and has to borrow his family's car which often has lots of issues.
All I ask from him is a text every now and then, more physical affection, or affection in general. I've brought up what I need in a relationship, and what my love languages are, but it's like he doesn't even care. He has explained to me that he struggles with verbalizing his feelings, or showing he cares, and that he wants to get therapy, but I'm still at a loss.
Should I communicate how I'm feeling to him, or call it quits and move on? I really like him, and he's claimed to feel the same, but I don't believe him. I feel like he was just love bombing me, and now that he's got me, he's given up on caring or putting in the effort.
Note to add: He did say he loved me on our second date, and while I was taken aback by how soon it was, I explained I needed time to make sure I meant it. I eventually said it back, because the feelings were very strong. We both think we are moving too fast, and have tried our best to take it slow. I get attached very quickly, and have anxiety as well as trauma from past relationships. I've been to therapy, but no longer have insurance and haven't been since last year.
TLDR: My boyfriend hasn't been texting me or calling as much as he did in the beginning, and doesn't seem to be trying at all when it comes to putting in the effort it takes to have a healthy, happy relationship. Am I overreacting, or is it really just the stress of where he's at in life and his responsibilities?
Posted Apr 8, 2025, 9:22 PM UTC