I don't think that there Is any one authority on what the terms mean. That can definitely sometimes make things a bit confusing or challenging, but it can also be a really good thing, as people can decide for themselves. It's also a natural thing about language: these terms are still fairly new (at ...

Welcome to the boards, wiztech! To let him know that you like a thing he does or that you do together, the short answer is: tell him :) At the time, you can say "I like that"; if you want to tell him you liked what you both did yesterday, you can say something like "so, yesterday, I l...

I'm sorry you've been feeling so rough with this. I'd really suggest trying not to read very much into his expression in that moment. It's honestly pretty common for people to report feeling very weird, or feeling like they behaved really bizarrely and not at all in a way that mirrors either what th...

You're very welcome. I totally understand that some people feel most right and happiest with a life packed full of activities :) I'd still put in a pitch for making sure that one or two of those things are things that you could opt out of or drop if you needed to, though: "give" doesn't ha...

Feeling very connected with another person/people is a pretty fundamental need for most people, so it's very understandable that you would really miss and want that. Sometimes in life we are in a position where there's simply not room for a single other thing. So, okay, what I'd suggest with those t...

So, sounds like what you're wishing for is to feel understood, and/or have people who understand you. One thing I'd suggest is to try to reframe, as much as you can, "missing him" into "missing being understood". If you think of it as a him-shaped space, you're more likely to bel...

I think the first step for that would be trying to ask yourself, as honestly as you can, what it is that you'd be looking for in getting back together with him. What would that be giving you? What is it that you want that you would get from him or that relationship, or that you wish or hope you woul...

As you're worrying, I think seeing a doctor is a great idea. I think telling them how you've been feeling and what you're worrying about is also a really good plan. I'd advise against insisting on any one particular course of action, though, because the doctor should know best what the most appropri...

So, that'd feel comfortable for you because you feel confident about the likelihood of finding a duet partner and it going well for the both of you? Would it make a difference if there was a piece that used a really obscure other instrument, or that was a really obscure style that next to nobody usu...

(Too, for what it's worth, if you're having thoughts and feelings about this, it's worth talking about if you want to. Of course, if you want to drop it, that's fine too.)

For my part: what if there were some duets you really liked and hoped you meet someone who played the other instrument and also liked them and wanted to play them with you - would you feel like it'd be presumptious to get the sheet music before you met such a person? If this situation feels differen...

Also, koopins, looping back round to one thing you came in asking about and tying it in to where we've got to: you said you'd like him to tell you what he wants more. In my most recent post, I basically answered that with "he probably can't do more than he is at the moment, there's probably not...

Do you mean the question you asked about dealing with missing him, or a different question?

Also doesn't sound at all ridiculous to me! :) Personally, I think "partnered sex maybe at some point, but not right now" is a great timeframe to start thinking about a safer sex kit, precisely because it gives you space to think about it without it being stressful or rushed, and totally a...

There've been a handful of threads I remember on the boards with people asking about and talking about the implant - and other methods, if you also want to read about those - which I'm sure you can find using the search box :) There's also a three-part series on the main site where volunteer Karyn b...

Throwing up will only affect your pill if you throw up within a couple of hours of taking an active pill. Otherwise, the hormone has already been absorbed, so there's nothing that throwing up could do to your pill. Sugar pills aren't active pills: they don't have any hormone in them, they're just th...

Hi there, hawley-smoot. I'm really sorry he behaved like that to you. He shouldn't have. Sometimes someone who hurt us can get stuck in our head while we're still struggling with or processing what happened. I'm not surprised the flashblacks are distressing - flashbacks can be really horrible. There...

No worries, seems pretty coherent to me; and thanks for taking the time to think so carefully about your boyfriend's position and priorities. Okay. What really comes over to me from reading that is that for your boyfriend, now is just not the right time for him to be really digging into his sexual i...

Perfect use is laboratory-standard perfect, so no-one's quite going to reach that for a method they control themself, like the pill or condoms. Perfect use simply means using the method exactly as it's supposed to be used, every single time, for a whole year. The perfect use rates of condoms do incl...

I have some identity-words which are really important to me and communicate important parts of my identity and sense of self, but they're not labels to me. Perhaps because they feel comfy and fitting? Even though they have that importance, I really don't feel defined by them or like any one or all o...

For the resources, have you seen the ones on our site? If not, they're a good place to start - perhaps with Blinders Off: Getting a Good Look at Abuse and Assault I'm wondering where your boyfriend is at at the moment with things. Obviously, it's you who's having a conversation with us here, so it's...

Okay! Thanks, I think we're well filled-in now about your current circumstances and the kinds of assistance you've both already had. From what you've said, I think the biggie here is his current connection to his parents. When a part of our life is still based in their house - even if we're not ther...

Hi, koopins. For sure, that's some big and complex stuff of your boyfriend's - and consequently, of your shared sex life - that you're asking about. Big and complex doesn't take it outside our scope, though - after all, it's sex and relationship things you're asking about :) Thank you for the though...

Yep, if a condom breaks, it's going to be an obvious thing that you'd be able to see. The "microscopic holes" thing isn't actually real: it's a myth spread by people who are extremely misinformed about condoms, and by some people who are against contraception or against young/unmarried peo...

Welcome to the boards, numberjuan! Mid-cycle spotting is one of the most common side-effects of hormonal birth control. For sure, it's more likely to happen shortly after starting, changing, or stopping, but it's not unusual at any point. Are you up-to-date with your sexual healthcare, including STI...