This past weekend, I went camping with my girlfriend and some of her friends, and it was a mix of highs and lows.
Overall, it was a wonderful experience, and I had a lot of fun. However, there were moments when my mood became quite difficult to manage. We didn’t engage in any intimate activities during these three days, and even though I know (we discussed it) that the reasons weren’t due to her lack of interest, thoughts started to creep into my mind, such as ‘Is she growing tired of me?’ ‘Does she crave someone more exciting or fun?’ These thoughts all stem from my own insecurities.
This same uneasiness translated into my struggles with interacting with others, especially since they are all younger than me, including my girlfriend. Perhaps this dynamic affects me, and as usual, my response is to put up a protective barrier that might not be very welcoming to others.
Due to her youthfulness and outgoing nature, even small things like attention from other men trigger feelings of jealousy (and again, insecurity) in me, leading me to react defensively once more. The ironic part is that she’s clearly infatuated with me, and right after she expresses her affection through small gestures, I find myself in this unpleasant state, unable to truly value her efforts, sometimes even responding in ways that hurt her or make her withdraw.
Yesterday, she was discussing with two of her friends the possibility of moving in together (because she wants to experience it for at least a year), and once again, my mood took a downturn, causing my insecurities to resurface.
Later in the evening, she told me ‘I love you’ (which in Italian is more like ‘I feel in love with you’) for the first time, and I could barely manage to respond with ‘me too.’
I that moments like this has happened on multiple occasions, and in these moment she looks confused obviously.
Even after such a short period both of us find it challenging to limit our time together. We love the time spent together but is we’ve both recognized that to make an effort to spend time apart occasionally might be beneficial.
Today, as I was driving back home from work, I realized I was on the brink of emotional overload, a pattern I’ve noticed recently. When I arrived home, I experienced a moment of crying and anger, which I released through the punching bag.
I’m starting to realize that the the “lonely wolf” attitude I had all my life might a way to prevent the difficulties I have in relationships, and more generally in the social area.