Have you ever stayed in a loveless relationship because you’re worried about what other people might think?

[Anonymous]

I for one have stayed in a relationship longer than I should have because I was just so used to being in a relationship and was scared of going back to being single. I have also heard stories of people who stayed out of fear of judgement or shame from other people. Have you ever stuck around in a relationship for a “stupid” reason?

[Summeroflove]

I never have done that and hope I never do. Some people I guess are scared to leave but I will say others are just cowards.

There are relationships where one person looses interest while the other person thinks things are going fine. It’s absolutely disgusting to me to see a good person being strung along when they could find someone who genuinely does love them. It’s a cowardly and disgusting thing to do by people who really only care about themselves.

That’s not every case or situation though. Sone people aren’t meant to be. Sone relationship are abusive and one sided. But for some reason someone thinks they can either change the other person or save them from themselves. Things of that nature.

But at the end of the day. Nobody deserves to be abused. Chested on. Strung along or anything like that unless they’re those kind of people. And it can be a very interesting thing to see these people pick one another in the end. After all the pain they have inflicted on others… Now they will serve a life sentence together

[Asker]

Great point! Staying even when you no longer love them is a form of abuse on its own. Some people really are that scared to be alone though to the point where they rather stay in an abusive/loveless relationship rather than go back to being single. I guess that’s why the divorce rate is so high because a lot of people settle out of fear of being alone.

[Lynx122]

Nope when it doesn't work, it doesn't work. I'd rather learn lessons from the relationship and move forward to find someone who is more compatible with me. Compared to highschool being single as an adult is nothing. I'm not scared of what other people think at all. I've been through the worst already.

[Asker]

For me as a woman it’s much scarier being single as an adult because I’m on a race against my biological clock. But I still would rather be single rather than forcing myself to stay in a loveless relationship.

[petitedollbabee]

I stuck around in a relationship once because I was so depressed and my self esteem was so poor that I thought that I couldn’t do better than my boyfriend at the time, and I didn’t want to end up alone if I broke up with him. He treated me like crap and cheated on me 3 times with 2 of my friends, he was a slob and overall just a trash person, but I was convinced that I deserved how he treated me and that he was the best I could do. Luckily someone else helped me snap out of that mindset and break up with him.

[Asker]

Honestly, I understand. Been there. I hope you realize your worth now and that you deserve so much better xx

[petitedollbabee]

Definitely, that relationship was years ago. I’ve got an amazing partner now and we’ve got a baby together ☺️

[Asker]

So happy to hear that! Best of luck to you and your new baby xx

[Nikki1989]

No, staying in a loveless relationship for the sake of appearances can have a significant negative impact on your mental and emotional well-being. Not worth it.

[Asker]

I fully agree, it’s better to just get it over with quick otherwise you might end up in an even more complicated situation

[Finchie40]

No, I wouldn’t be in a relationship with someone I didn’t love or care about , if I am unhappy in a relationship I just end the relationship and move on

[Asker]

Better to not waste your/their time for sure

[Finchie40]

Exactly, if the relationship can not be fixed it’s best just to end it and walk away

[Asker]

You know it best!

[FunnyButNotFunnyHaHa]

I haven't done that, no.

Are you still in the loveless relationship? Or have you ended it?

[Asker]

Good! It sucked being stuck in one. I thankfully have left the relationship and currently in a loving and fulfilling one.

[FunnyButNotFunnyHaHa]

How long were you in the loveless relationship?

What made you finally decide to leave?

[Asker]

It was all good until the last year, he did something that turned me off and I emotionally checked out of the relationship. I asked for a break up but he said he needed time so I waited until he was ready to break it off (took close to a year lol)

[FunnyButNotFunnyHaHa]

Wait... you wanted to break up with him, and he said no?

Is that a thing that actually happens?

Can I ask what he did that turned you off?

Can I ask how old you are?

[Asker]

Yes he said no and threatened to hurt himself, he asked for another chance so I decided why not. We were 23/24 back then. I’m 30 now, but my close friend is going through a similar situation where she’s stuck in a loveless relationship because she doesn’t want to be single at her age…

He made fun of my grandma’s death and told me to move on the next day so I can go back to being the fun version of me. He said he doesn’t want to see me act all sappy so I better start acting normal quick. Immediate turn off.

[FunnyButNotFunnyHaHa]

Ouch. Yeah I can see how that would end a relationship. It seems kinda psychopathic or sociopathic to be honest.

[Asker]

Yeah I never realized just how manipulative he was back then… glad I got out while I was still pretty young! My friend though on the other hand is already 36 and is worrying about what other people would think if her current relationship doesn’t work out even though there’s no love from both ends…

[FunnyButNotFunnyHaHa]

Are you in the USA? Just curious.

Are you trying to persuade your friend to leave her husband or boyfriend or whatever he is?

[Asker]

No I’m not. All the way across the globe lol

Not really, I’ll let her decide on her own but I’ve shared with her how my experience have been being stuck in a loveless relationship.

[FunnyButNotFunnyHaHa]

Can I ask what country you're in? Just curious.

And you're happier now you said?

[Asker]

I’m in Australia. Much happier and getting married soon! Hope you’re having a great new year.

[FunnyButNotFunnyHaHa]

I just woke up, so I haven't seen much of 2025 yet.

Did you start dating this guy right after you left your previous boyfriend?

[MrOracle]

I've never cared what other people think. That's just noise. I have a very small group of people whose opinions on certain things I respect, but everyone else is irrelevant.

[Oncewildtwiceburned]

@MrOracle Well, you give great breakdowns of the modern gender-gap debacle. You remind me of the fire-arm loving Asian version of Andrew Wilson. That has probably helped a few people on here. So everyone else isn’t completely irrelevant, even to you.

[MrOracle]

@Oncewildtwiceburned Their opinions of my personal life are irrelevant to me, though. I simply can't be bothered to care what the vast majority of the world thinks about my personal life. So I waste no energy worrying about it. I'm sure there are some people who have some problem with my girlfriend - she's considerably younger than I am (38 vs 54), and she wasn't born in the US. I've actually had someone tell me that I was "taking advantage of her" (she was 36 when I met her) and that I'm with her because she's naïve and uneducated (though she has a Master's degree and speaks 3 languages). These morons seem to believe that it's impossible to get an education outside the US or UK, much less go to college - they're experts in the world despite never having been anywhere. And that's exactly why their opinions are irrelevant to me.

Obviously most people aren't like that, but most people would never be spreading negative opinions anyway. The ones who do tend to be the most ignorant, despite any "education" they may have.

[David5668]

I did until about 3 months ago, when I asked for a divorce as there was nothing between us anymore.

[Asker]

What made you finally decide to ask for a divorce?

[David5668]

My wife was making plans to partially retire to do her PhD but expect me to carry on working till I was 67. That’s when I decided enough is enough.

[Asker]

Oh yeah that’s super unfair to you and selfish on her part. Glad you put your foot down, wishing you luck on the divorce process!

[David5668]

Thank you. x

[Anonymous]

Maybe. But it was a long time ago. And it wasn’t loveless on my part, just his.

[Asker]

Did you notice that the love was one sided?

[Opinion Owner]

Yeah but I thought he really loved me deep down and if I just tried hard enough I could change that

[Asker]

It happens to the best of us… I hope you’re able to find someone that can love you as much as you love them xx

[Opinion Owner]

I have 🥰. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

When I was with the asshole demi I was hoping she would stop cheating but that never happened it was one guy after another after another it was sickening

[Asker]

Sadly cheaters won’t change…

[Anonymous]

F*** no! How pathetic would you have to be to do that.🤦‍♂️😆

[Asker]

Apparently a lot of people are just too scared of being alone

[RageBabe]

Nope, my emotional well-being is too vital.

[Asker]

Yes! Gotta protect your own peace of mind

[Anonymous]

Yes,

[Asker]

How long did you stay for?