Hi all

I don't post here much but I really like this site and wondered if people had any opinions on this.

I started a long distance relationship with a guy last summer. Due to the distance and ill health we haven't been able to meet up much and we mostly communicate via phone and skype. He's a good talker and fortunately we never seem to run out of things to discuss.

Initially it felt a really good relationship especially as I've been single for a few years since my very controlling marriage ended. He is much more easygoing than my ex and not in the least controlling so I felt for a time that this was right.

Now I guess I'm losing heart. The distance is hard but due to health problems that is kind of inevitable and at the moment I would not be able to date regularly anyway. But what is really bothering me is that he hates psychology, which I'm studying at the moment. I really love it and I'm hoping to start a career in it later on if my health improves.

I knew my boyfriend disliked psychology but I was shocked the other day when he sort of debunked the whole thing using a rather graphic swear word beginning with b! I felt really offended and I guess I took it personally whereas he sees psychology as separate from me. To him, we have separate interests and that's fine. He is studying biology and that's his great love; he talks about it a lot and I guess I feel niggled that he can share that with me when I can't share psychology. I've reached the point of feeling I have to defend my subject, which I know is mad.

I'm wondering if I'm being too picky and sensitive about this. Maybe it's perfectly okay to have separate interests. It's clearly not a problem for him. But I feel sad. I wish I could mention my course without feeling uncomfortable. It's not that he doesn't try to see things from my viewpoint because he does. I know he's had bad experiences with psychs in the past and this has affected him too, which he acknowledges.

We do have common interests in other areas (nature etc) and he is generally a nice bloke, but psychology and spirituality are subjects that mean a lot to me and I can't share them with him.

I probably should tell him how I feel but at the moment I don't feel I can do that. I wanted to wait until we met up in person but I don't know when that will happen.

Any thoughts welcome