Is he depressed? How to help when he's so far away.

Hi everyone,

My partner and I met online about 3 years ago - though at the time we only spoke casually for about 2-3 months after which we both got busy with our lives. However, since Nov 2016 we started talking again, and hit it off right away as we were both looking to settle. We finally met last month, and the meetings solidified how we felt about each other. But then, we both had to go back home (he lives in Australia, I live in Canada) Although we find each other strongly compatible, there are some family issues. We both come from backgrounds where family consent is very important before moving forward with a relationship. Thankfully, my family is very supportive and has no issues with him.

Last week, my partner spoke to his mother about me (as both families had met last month) to confirm that she was cool with everything. His mother, however, responded by saying that she and his dad were still 'thinking' about whether they thought I was a good match or not for their son. Since that conversation, my partner has been acting very upset. It certainly does not help that we live so far away, and our main line of communication is through texts and phone calls. For the past week, he has barely been eating, he stopped going out, seems to be sleeping a lot, is definitely taking less initiative when it comes to communicating with me. I, myself, am worried about what the outcome will be - but I am trying to be positive for him, letting him know that we can wait a bit for his parents to come around (as they have only met me twice) I just feel a bit helpless in this situation... is he depressed? Is he preparing himself for the break-up? What can I be doing to support him from so far away? Feeling lost and confused.

Thanks everyone.

welcome to the forum.

Your partner maybe 'depressed' over the situation, although this is different than depression.

I have to question why such a serious reaction to an "unknown" factor.

You should consider, that if you marry or live with this person, his parents will NO DOUBT be a driving force in the relationship. Is that something you can deal with or even want to try and juggle?

Relationships start as couples, not foursomes. This is my opinion, just food for thought.

Peace
Trina