
Dear Sugar--
I have been in a relationship for a year and a half, and my boyfriend just recently moved away for grad school. I live in Colorado and he lives in New York, so it's quite a distance. Before he left we both got matching promise rings but somehow I keep getting these images in my head that he is sleeping around, or making out with other girls. I am not a jealous person by nature but I really love him, and I'm scared to lose him. Is this a normal reaction or do I just need to get over myself? --Paranoid Paula
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Dear Paranoid Paula --
Something tells me you have had a bad experience with cheating - has your boyfriend given you any indication that he is being unfaithful? Has he been talking about other women or have you heard from friends of friends that he is socializing with other women? If not, you may be acting a little paranoid here. Just because you are out of sight, it doesn't mean you're out of mind.
I am not sure why you are doubting his trust, but a women's intuition is a very powerful tool. If you can't shake this feeling, flat out ask him. Don't attack or accuse, just tell him your concerns and hopefully he will make you feel better. It's very easy to over analyze things in your head, especially when you're far away from the people you love, so try to take a step back and think about this logically - you love each other, you gave each other promise rings, and he hasn't given you any reason to believe he is cheating so just breathe and have faith in your relationship. Good luck.









Meltin Pot
Coggles.com
Claudie Pierlot
I'm undecided on this one, but I do agree with Dear...unless he's given you an indication that he's cheating, then I wouldn't worry too much. However, I know from personal experience that every time I've had a funny feeling/intuition about these types of things, I've been right.
1I'm undecided because I believe women have intuition and know when something is up, but sometimes we also create worst scenarios. I would speak to him about your concerns and try to make a visit plan.
2It's a natural reaction. I mean you two are so far away, and I don't think it has anything to do with trust. Just think of you two being together when you get those images in your head and you should be happier.
3it is a natural reaction, however unless he's given you some clue as to him being unfaithful there should be no need to worry. also, just a word from my personal experience...don't start questioning him too much because if he's not doing anything he's going to get really mad and that'll set off a whole new set of issues.
4Long distance relationships are tough because both partners are, at the very least, tempted to cheat at some point or other. While it is hard, sometimes the best thing to do is to open up the relationship so you both can explore other options while you are living apart. Sometimes the jealousy can be too much for what it's worth.
5it's just really hard to keep up with a long distance relationship. there are a lot of challenges and when things tide over or you miss that person, there's no hug and kiss. just the knowing that the other is there for you even if faraway. but i think you just might be overthinking it. i know i overthink things even though i am very sure that he's definitely not going to do anything. that's the difference between males and females. males hardly think and females think too much.
6I think it's definitely a woman thing to think of negative scenarios when you're apart from your loved one. However, it's useful to run through the list of "what's rational and what's not." Is it rational to think that he's cheating? Normally we put ourselves through long trains of "what if he's..." but that's often not the reality. Make dates to talk on the phone, to IM, meet, whatever, so that he's aware that you are committed to him. I've always been told that long distance is about making or breaking a relationship. Make it work. Give him the benefit of the doubt.
7I think it depends on if there's any reason to doubt him. Is there anything that makes you think that he is cheating, or do you only feel this way because he is living away from you?
8just because you have women's intuitin doesn't give you license to act insane..
9i think maybe tell him you trust him but are having fears that are probably irrational the key to a relationship is being able to talk it out
10Paranoia will destroy you.
11ashcwebb is right...
12Learn to trust him, until he gives you a reason not to.
If he's given you no cause for worry and it's just your own paranoia, yes, you need to get over yourself. You'll ruin the relationship.
13I had a long distance relationship for a year (Chicago to LA) and I know that when I first moved I was paranoid. I realized though, that the problem was my lack of confidence in myself. Through finding my way on my own, I started to appreciate myself and realized that it was possible for a man to love me enough to stay faithful even when I wasn't by his side. It made me a stronger, happier person, and our relationship actually improved a lot because of it. When we got back together in LA after a year, things were better than ever.
As a PS: We just celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary. Long distance relationships CAN work!
14i was in the same situation a few weeks ago. my boyfriend is on an adventure traveling around the world. he'll be gone for eight months and he's having the time of his life. i couldn't help but feel antsy every time he talks about how pretty the girls are in europe... but i digress, really, there is no point in worrying if your boyfriend doesn't appears to be the true and loyal type--after all, not all guys are cheaters.
trust him and let go.
15My friend once said to me that if a man is going to cheat, he is going to cheat and there is nothing that you can change by worrying about it happening. I have done the long distance relationship before, and mine didn't work, just because of the person (and he did cheat in the end). I know in my case, I never was really paranoid until he gave me a reason to be. And that womens intuition was telling me to beware. In the beggining he would call me and tell me what was going on all the time, he was honest with me and up front about everything he did. If I called him, and he wasn't working there wasn't any times that he wouldn't answer if I called, etc. Then he acted different...that communication went away, I could never talk to him, and he grew distant, but yet I was the one who ended it. If your man and you have promise rings, he may be a good enough guy to stick to it. Not a lot of younger men will wear a "commitment" ring of any sort unless they are really into their girl.
16When you go visit him, if he shows you around, introduces you to everyone, thats a good sign. Most men who go to school/military and live "double lives" won't show their girlfriend to people that may know of their double live or bust them on it. Also look for those signs of distance. Long distance relationships are not easy, but they can work. One thing too....men who cheat tend to accuse their girl of cheating, or get really possesive. Hopefully everything works out for you! Good Luck!
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