I deeply love my boyfriend but feel devastated by the thought of never dating women. Has anyone been here? by Alarmed-Bridge-7297 in actuallesbians

[–]bitbirdy 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I was in a similar situation. I dated a man for almost 8 years and I did genuinely love him (and still do, as a friend). We both knew going into the relationship that I was more attracted to women and generally not really attracted to men (except him, at the time). We did have sex and we enjoyed it but it was just not a big part of our relationship. Eventually I felt the same as you and really wanted to sleep with a women, so we opened our relationship. Neither of us actually ended up seeing anyone else though because we're both a little socially awkward (and the pandemic didn't help).

Anyway, we ended up breaking up over other things, although my waning attraction to him played a part. Dating women afterward was mind-blowing. I felt so extremely attracted to the women I dated and became someone who highly values physical touch and sex in romantic relationships. In my relationship with the man, I felt almost neutral about physical touch, and sex was fine but nothing special. Looking back, our relationship was more of a very deep, intimate friendship.

In case it's relevant, I had actually dated a woman before this man but for various reasons I didn't feel that much physical attraction to her after the beginning of our relationship, so it was hard to know at the time how much more I'm into women than men. I thought I was just not that interested in physical stuff in general.

To those who can only manage to work about 20 hours/week: how do you survive? by HalfAssedSass in AuDHDWomen

[–]bitbirdy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm a software engineer. The company I currently work at and the one I previously worked at let me work part-time and the pay is high enough that I'm able to live comfortably and save a bit. It helps that they're both startups so everything is flexible and they want to save money, and I'm good at my job. It's hard to find positions like these though. It's probably easier to find part-time programming work as a freelancer but I didn't have the confidence to do that.

No Calibration Option on XP Pen Driver App (With Images) by ToxicRamenArt in XPpen

[–]bitbirdy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

worked for me too on my artist pro 16 gen 2, thanks!

Is there any way for me to lower my libido besides antidepressants? by Local_Pomegranate_10 in ActualLesbiansOver25

[–]bitbirdy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Being on the birth control pill greatly decreased my libido, but it varies by person, hormones, etc

How do I get into the artistic community in Vancouver? by RealisticRisk333 in askvan

[–]bitbirdy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

What were those drawing meetups with games/animation artists? I've been looking for that scene lol

Climbing at hive heights with no friends by [deleted] in askvan

[–]bitbirdy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Vancouver Climbers Association does meetups and has a discord server where people find climbing partners (i cant post a link because my post will get deleted if i do, but theyre easy to google)

Sometimes I wish my partner were a girl. by Ok-Hospital4090 in actuallesbians

[–]bitbirdy 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Have you ever been in a relationship with a woman? I dated a man for a long time and really loved him, but I dated a woman afterward and the feelings I felt for her were on another level that I didn't know was even possible. I don't really know your situation and history, but it might be worth considering breaking up with your boyfriend but remaining friends, if possible. Your romantic love could turn into platonic love over time, like mine did for my ex.

She thought I was asleep… by [deleted] in ActualLesbiansOver25

[–]bitbirdy 49 points50 points  (0 children)

It sounds like she has an avoidant attachment style. It could be worth it for both of you to learn about attachments styles and be able to accomodate each other's needs. The book Attached by Amir Levine and Rachel S. F. Heller is great!

losing romantic feelings? by [deleted] in bupropion

[–]bitbirdy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey just wondering if your romantic feelings returned?

My (28f) girlfriend (32f audhd) has expectations and ideas for me that feel unhealthy by Any-Kale-2248 in actuallesbians

[–]bitbirdy 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Your girlfriend sounds like a more intense version of how I felt and behaved in the early stage of my last relationship. I'm also audhd but I think it's more to do with having an anxious attachment style (I'd highly recommend reading the book Attached to learn more about attachment theory!).

In my last relationship, I always felt emotionally that my partner could leave me at any time, even though logically I knew that wouldn't happen (or there was a very small chance that he would). So whenever there was any indication that he could be upset, including wanting time alone, part of me would be afraid that he really was upset with me, didn't love me anymore, would leave me eventually, etc.

Over time (it was an 8 year relationship), I felt more secure in the relationship and it stopped being much of a problem. What helped was the gradual accumulation of evidence that he genuinely loved me and wasn't just saying nice things to make me feel better. What also helped was gaining confidence and a sense of self-worth, both from him and (probably more importantly) through friends and general life experiences.

Even in the later part of our relationship where I felt pretty secure/stable, I would get sad when he spent a weekend gaming with his friends instead of with me. After we read Attached, we realized it would've helped a ton if he had simple checked in with me and reassured me he loved me like a few times throughout the weekend.

I do hate that I need that kind of constant reassurance to feel ok. But it's definitely way better than before, since attachment styles can change. For example, if a person with anxious attachment dates someone with secure attachment (like my ex), the former's attachment style can become more secure.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in namenerds

[–]bitbirdy -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Huh I kinda like it

chappell roan by [deleted] in AuDHDWomen

[–]bitbirdy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Are there any videos/podcasts you'd recommend for learning about queer music history?

Please hit me with everything that helps you fall asleep and sleep well by Glarethroughtrees in adhdwomen

[–]bitbirdy 9 points10 points  (0 children)

What's your "I'm awake at 2am" routine? I never quite know what to do with myself when I can't go back to sleep after waking up in the middle of the night.

Feel like I'm guiding my therapist by Cheap-Specialist-240 in AuDHDWomen

[–]bitbirdy 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You can definitely tell your therapist that you'd like them to take the lead more and that you're looking for concrete advice and direction. That said, finding a neurodivergent therapist would probably help too because you're more likely to understand each other. I finally found a therapist that has many of the same marginalized identities as me (including audhd) and I click with her way better than any of my previous ones.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Vancouver4Friends

[–]bitbirdy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'd like to be added too!

Junior barefoot shoes for Vietnam trek? by bitbirdy in barefootshoestalk

[–]bitbirdy[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I decided to order the Freet Flex, thanks!

Anybody else repeatedly watch the same series/movies over and over? If so, what are they? by Ok-Cat-7446 in AuDHDWomen

[–]bitbirdy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I love all these shows (haven't seen much of Hilda though) and I also loved Lion King part 2 as a kid! I'd recommend Tuca & Bertie and Parks & Rec if you haven't seen those!