He is avoiding intimacy


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  • #938372 Reply
    Lili

    We are in our 30s, been together 3 years. I had a higher sex drive than him at the beginning and because he would often say no, it kind of discouraged me on the long run and I rarely initiate now.
    But when I do, I do something he recently told me that he dislikes a lot : I ask. I don’t get flirty or whatever, no, I just ask. Because it’s easier for me to handle a rejection with words than being physically gently pushed away. He told me that he hates that because it turns him off, because he feels almost like a girl in the movies wanting more, he wants more of a flirty approach. I no longer feel confortable doing that with him though. He says he wants more touch, more caresses, more kissing, which he often won’t give to me. He used to skip foreplay altogether and he just won’t understand that I need it too. I don’t know how to explain in a clear way that I need more romance, tenderness, love to be turned on too.
    Lately he avoids to have sex with me altogether. He is not affectionate in the daily life either. If I don’t hug him, kiss him, touch him, he will rarely do it or think about doing it. The less affectionate he is, the less I feel desire towards him.
    Another thing is that he needs (or are these excuses?) to have sex at a certain time : he doesn’t want to be hungry, doesn’t want to have something important or annoying to do before, he works out every morning so it can’t happen at this moment either, when he goes to bed, he is already too tired… Like come on ! Sex is the very last thing on his to-do list.
    Week-ends are generally super busy because he is away most of the week and there is always something to do around the house on weekends.
    I think he is also under financial pressure at the moment because things keep breaking down in our house and the repairs are expensive.
    I also put on 8 kgs this past year because of a medication I’m taking for a condition I have and I guess he doesn’t like my new body. I used to be very thin, now I’m a bit more full.
    I don’t feel like being his best friend only for the rest of my life.
    I don’t know how to approach the situation. It is taking a big toll on my self-esteem.
    He is a great, loving, caring partner for everything else but we are really drifting apart lately.

    #938374 Reply
    Ewa

    You have just said he doesn’t touch you, hug you , kiss you etc and then at the bottom you said he is loving and caring ?
    Maybe he cares but like you said more like a friend than lover .
    It is not unusual to have less sex after a while however it is a bit suspicious when a guy doesn’t want it.

    If it was me I’d be thinking he is getting sex somewhere else .

    Why do you say he is under financial pressure? What about you ? Do you not contribute?

    Stress can also impact your sex life but perhaps you are right and he is not as attracted to you as before . He goes to the gym and he looks at other women who are fit but then again it shouldn’t be about how you look after 3 years.

    #938377 Reply
    AngieBaby

    This is such a painful situation to be in. It sounds like either he’s getting sex from someone else as Ewa said or he’s no longer physically into you because of the weight gain. He’s created a lot of barriers to being intimate with you but he’s not trying to find a solution, which is telling. This isn’t going to get better if things continue this way so you’re going to have to gather your courage and talk with him. You are going to have to go into it prepared to hear anything he has to say and just take it in rather than react. Best case scenario, you can be solve this together or worst case scenario, he’s already checked out and he wants to break up. If that’s the case then you will want to know sooner rather than later and you need to let him do that, don’t do it for him because you’re hurt and offended. Ask him to set a time when it’s good to talk. You may want to try driving or walking while talking because it’s easier for men to not have to sit across from you and look you in the eye the entire time. Let us know how it goes if you decide to do this. I’m sorry you’re experiencing this.

    #938378 Reply
    AngieBaby

    How to explain how you feel to him – use “I” language and speak from the heart. “When this happens or doesn’t happen, I feel like this. What I’d love to experience is this instead.”

    #938384 Reply
    Maddie

    This is also difficult to do, but try not to internalize that his behavior and withdrawal is your fault, about how you look from medication, or anything you did! I’ve been in a very similar situation with an ex-boyfriend and it destroyed my self-esteem because I blamed myself for his withholding and seemingly sudden lack of sexual interest. Things didn’t work out for us, and I had to rebuild my self-esteem and how I defined my value after giving it all to him! And when I did that I realized that most of our issues in that area had more to do with him (he had commitment fears with women in general and this is how they manifested in our case) than me. Nothing was wrong with me, and he didn’t even see me in a negative way when he wasn’t dumping his baggage on me, so just for my own sanity I wish I hadn’t taken it so personally. And I learned from that experience not to take it personally in the future, because someone else’s feelings and how they choose to act (such as not communicating about issues) is not in my control. But in reality, things had gotten mutually toxic with my ex, and my self-esteem was able to rebound a lot faster when I cut off our contact for a while after he broke up with me. I hope you are able to find a way to both communicate well with each other, but please try to remember no matter what that you are worth more than his opinion of your weight etc. I think the issue is more about control and his own stuff anyway rather than about your weight if he’s so prescriptive about how he wants you to approach him and what time and that it’s all about him him him calling the shots in your sex life without much regard to your feelings. But no matter how things go, don’t abandon yourself, be kind to yourself instead.

    #938385 Reply
    AngieBaby

    100% what Maddie said!

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