Teodor Jozef6 months agoI (22M) have been in a long-distance relationship with my girlfriend (21F) for two years now. Throughout our time together, she has often expressed her love through heartfelt letters, especially on special occasions like my birthdays. Each time I received one of her letters, I felt overwhelmed with gratitude and appreciation for her thoughtfulness. However, I’ve struggled to reciprocate in the same way. Writing love letters isn’t my natural form of expressing affection, and I often find it difficult to put my feelings into words on paper. While I’ve tried to show my love in other ways, my girlfriend has made it clear that she feels sad about the lack of letters from me. She has shared her disappointment, emphasizing how much it means to her to receive that kind of gesture in return. I understand where she’s coming from. Reciprocity is essential in a healthy relationship, and I’ve apologized for not meeting her expectations in this regard. She has mentioned that her idealized image of me comes from my past, where I used to journal as a way to cope with my depression. This has led her to believe that I should naturally express my emotions through writing. This situation has left me feeling conflicted. Am I wrong for not expressing my love in the same way she does? Should every gesture of affection be mirrored in kind, or is it acceptable for couples to have different but complementary ways of showing love? I want to support her feelings, but I also want to remain true to myself and my own style of expressing affection. How can we bridge this gap in our love languages?196
Teodor JozefTeodor Jozef