Dear Dave:

Reading your update makes my day 🙏 🙂

Your message is rich with emotional clarity and grounded maturity — it’s rare (and my first time witnessing it) to see someone navigate a difficult transition with this much respect, steadiness, and genuine care for everyone involved.

The way you and your ex are co‑parenting, communicating, and choosing grace over conflict says a lot about your values. And it’s lovely to read that you’re feeling hopeful again and connecting with someone new who brings light into your life.

I’m really glad to hear you’re in a good place and moving forward with so much intention 🤍✨🙏 🌿

Whenever you feel like sharing more — the good, the messy, or anything in between — I’m here.

🤍 Anita

Good Morning, Confused:

As I understand it, you’re asking whether your emotional numbness is coming from inside you or whether the relationship stress is causing you to shut down emotionally. In other words, you’re asking (paraphrased):

‘Is something wrong with me, or is this situation draining me so much that I feel numb?’ and ‘Will leaving this situation help me feel like myself again?’

Ending the LDR might relieve some of the emotional strain you’re under because it’ll remove a source of confusion, inconsistency, and emotional instability — and that alone can create enough breathing room for you to feel more grounded again.

When someone is caught in a dynamic with another person that repeatedly activates uncertainty, self‑doubt, and emotional turbulence (and emotional shutdown), stepping out of that dynamic often brings clarity, steadiness, and a return to baseline (how you were before).

Removing the source of emotional turbulence often helps people reconnect with themselves. It doesn’t “fix” the person — it simply stops the bleeding so that the person can heal (with professional help as needed).

🤍 Anita

Roberta, I hope this f. talk is okay with you, being that this is your thread (and your very first thread since you signed in to the forums on April 2, 2022)..?

Okay, I am moved to answer “What is expected if one needs to fart”, “in a room where people sit to meditate” 🧘‍♂️ 🧘‍♂️ 🧘‍♀️ 🧘‍♂️ 🧘‍♂️ 🧘‍♀️

Before I continue, let me see 👀 if there’s such a thing as a fart emoji.. No! How disappointing 😞.

Let me look for anything close to it.. ⛽️ is all I am getting.

Back to the question. I am giving this deep thought 🤔 I wonder if the meditating people can discuss and agree on what to do ahead of time?

I mean bring it to the open so that individuals don’t struggle with the dilemma individually. Just make it a group decision.

Also, agree on foods to eat and foods not to eat before meditation. Also, there’re tablets available over the counter to prevent smelly parts. I mean farts (I’m using my number phone 📱)

Oh, of course, meditating rooms can be ventilated, and there are air purifiers that neutralize bad smells.

The above was my best 👌 attempt to answer your question, Thomas.

🤔 ⛽️ 👀 😷 🤔 Anita

🪄 😂 🤣 😆 😹 😭😂 🪄

It definitely sounds like depression, Confused. It’s not just losing feelings for her, it’s like you said, empty shell, empty of all positive feelings. Did you email/ contact the psychiatrist? I imagine he can prescribe you an antidepressant without seeing you again simply because he already did most recently, So, it may be done instantly?

Hey Confused:

Oh, I understand and it makes sense- you overheard your mother talking to her mother (I overheard so much of my mother talking to her sisters/ people on the phone a whole lot. The apt was small and her voice loud. I couldn’t help but hear and I remember clearly wishing that I wouldn’t hear.

So much of it was child inappropriate 😔 .

Right before I read your 2nd message today, I thought to myself: the psychiatrist SHOULD have prescribed something for you, for depression, and then I read that you think he was wrong.

Call him maybe for another session or consultation?

🤍 Anita

For whatever it may be worth, Thomas (and it may be worth nothing at all to you), but I thought it cannot harm to tell you-

I do think that you are funny, very funny. You made me laugh many times (I did let you know), particularly your self- deprecating humor.

I believe that you are a good – and a funny 😁 man, Thomas.

Thank you for being you, and thank you for being here.

You make a positive difference 🙏

🤍 🙏 ✨️ Anita