Romantic Relationships and Mental Illness

Dear @Stu and @Terry

Your messges are very nice. My husband was diagnosed at 19 and me.... I started seeking help from mental health agencies I guess when I was 36 years old. I met sorry...... remet my husband when I was 43 years old.

It's weird that. When we got married..... our families freaked so when we seperated about 8 months after we married...... I thought and hoped he would come back.

yeah an hes my darling

How are you @Terry ?

Hello to all, just letting you know that the relationship that I was in, around Christmas time, failed. I was reading a magazine tonight and it said to list all the traits I'm looking for in a guy. So I have done that. I just feel so down at the moment and I don't know why. My grandmother always gave me the following advice. That I'm better off alone than with bad company, and I believe that's true. But why do I always feel lonely?

I was going to post a poem that deals with these issues, but since this forum lays claim to anything that has to do with intellectual property rights and it's not copywrited yet, I have decided not to. I could be mistaken though. It's hard to read between the lines of lawyer speak.

Heres my opinion about mental illness and romance though, particularly your situation.

You seem like you are high functioning, in that your able to take care of yourself, I'm assuming your gainfully employed, and the medication that you may be on is managing your symptoms well. These I believe are all prerequisites to getting into a relationship. Never the less, it's going to be hard to find someone. I suggest that you, like I would suggest to anyone, male or female, focus on making yourself as attractive as possible. Get a gym membership, start exercising regularly, incorporate a healthy diet..these will all make you feel better anyways but they will help you find a mate easier also, I believe. Keep focusing on your career, whatever that may be, because being able to take care of yourself independently is definitely much more of a turn on than turn off. Eventually, you will find someone. You just got to remember that your competing against people who don't have any issues, so it's important to get a leg up on them anyway you can. I believe if you follow my advice, you'll find someone within a year or two.
I've been single since my mid twenties, for about 10 years now. I do all the things I've suggested that you do, and it's made a terrific difference in my life. Yet, I'm still single, by choice though. I have been approached by interested men and women and have turned everyone down, so far. I've come to enjoy the freedom associated with being single. Yet, there are aspects of relationships that I do miss. But, the right woman just hasn't entered my life yet. One thing I do need to work on is getting over my fear of being rejected once they learn of my health complications. This often stops me from starting to get to know someone. In other words, I don't let people get to close to me and often I push them away, when it's really me that fears rejection.
I wish you the best of luck.
Stay positive, you'll find someone.

Goodluck