TLDR: in a relationship with a wonderful partner who doesn’t need physical touch ever unless through sex. I am physically needy and have history of trauma connected to affection. Help?

I (F27) and partner (M30) have been together for over a year. We have a great relationship that came from being best friends for years beforehand. He (M30) is NOT affectionate, self proclaimed hermit, and tolerates my needs for physical touch, but it’s basically never initiated by him unless it’s sex. Which leads me to get needy and try harder to get affection, which hurts my feelings when I don’t get it. I get his logic, we’ve had conversations about it and talked at length, but I (F27) have a history of trauma and past abuse where physical touch was used as manipulation, among other issues, which I am trying to overcome.
Sometimes the fact that he doesn’t initiate affection leads me to have issues that shouldn’t be happening if I was dealing with this better – anger, sadness, anxiety, etc.

Long story short, I crave affection on too high a level and am trying to get over it to make our relationship better.
How do you deal with mismatched love languages and this type of issue without anxiety over it or getting upset?

NOTE – I am not breaking up with my partner. Don’t tell me to do that. We’re in a really good relationship, I just need advice on how to deal with my stuff. I’ve been in therapy, etc. as well.

Thank you!

2 comments
  1. My bf isn’t as crazy about physical touch as I am but he makes time every day before I go to bed to give me snuggles for 5-10 minutes. Is your partner unable to compromise on something like that? Seems a pretty small ask in the scheme of things since I got out of my way to do things for him that are important to him.

  2. Learning your partner’s love languages and meeting their needs is something a good partner does.

    Love languages never line up perfectly. Loving partners adapt.

    If you communicate your needs and they don’t adapt you have two options: suck it up or the advice you’ve asked us not to give.

    Talk about it more with them, if you feel like you could try a different approach, but basically you just have to suck it up if it isn’t worth leaving them over.

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