02/06/2026
AIO for feeling uneasy and pulling back emotionally after several trust-related situations in my long-distance relationship?
Hi everyone. I don’t usually post, but I’m genuinely unsure whether my reaction here is reasonable or if I’m letting anxiety get the best of me.
I’m a 25M in a long-distance relationship with my partner (32F). We met in 2024, and due to personal circumstances, we’ve spent periods apart.
About a month ago, I needed to use her phone and saw messages where she was planning to meet someone at a “bar” / “pit.” This caught me off guard because she has previously told me she doesn’t like bars and doesn’t interact with people online. She also told me the person was a woman. Later, when I looked up the number, it appeared to belong to a man. She said she wasn’t aware of that.
Around the same time, she asked if I’d be okay with her going to dinner with a male international coworker who was visiting for work. I told her I wasn’t comfortable with it. The next day, even though she usually works remotely and didn’t need to go to the office, she went in and messaged him asking where he was. After that, I noticed myself becoming more emotionally guarded.
More recently, she went to the office and we agreed to meet for lunch afterward. While we were there, I noticed she took a n**e photo of herself in the bathroom. Later, when we got home, I saw that the photo had been deleted. I didn’t confront her, but given everything else, this added to my unease.
There’s also past context that may be affecting my reaction. In summer 2024, there were several occasions where she would be unresponsive for long periods without explanation. Later, she said she had been at an ex-coworker’s house or had already been attending an event with him. On one occasion, I also found out afterward that she had done laundry at his place. She told me he was married and gay, but these situations happened multiple times and weren’t communicated beforehand, which made me uncomfortable.
I haven’t accused her of anything, but I’ve found myself feeling confused, anxious, and less trusting, and I’ve started pulling back emotionally as a result. I’m trying to understand whether my reaction — feeling uneasy and reassessing trust — is reasonable, or if I’m overreacting due to my own insecurities.
AIO?