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anxiety, health and being hurt

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  • #198867
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Dear Anita

    Sorry If I won’t relate to everything you wrote, but I always read it couple of times. You’re right with everything. Thank you for the effort you put in all this. Thank you.

    I always believed my father loved me, despite how he didn’t show it. I remember several things: once when he drove to my grandmas where I was staying, when I was 12. Second when he called me on my phone when I was 16. (But to be honest I now am not sure if he really called me or I just thought about this so many times and hoped he would call that I made this up, believed it and don’t know anymore if it really happened), another thing when I last saw him in 2005, 8 months before he died, he told me “come by sometimes, It’s sad living here alone” these words haunted me for years, because there was this one time my dad wanted me and I missed this chance, because I never went there again. How could I miss it, I had this one big chance when my father once had this fleeting thought that would like me to visit, how my life would be different if I came there again, we would be such a loving family, him and I, for the rest of our lives if I accepted his generous offer (that’s irony. But this is what I believed for last years, maybe not believed because it’s obviously stupid, but rather felt and had guilt about it). You’re right, he didn’t love me.That would be the best and final explanation to everything he ever did or didn’t do. I wanted to convince myself you have to love your own child, yes, it is possible you can’t show it or you were raised this way and you can’t show emotions, but you have to, it is natural to love your child so he has to love me, because of the fact I’m his child, he has to, that’s the “law” of nature, right? You can’t not love your child. Isn’t this true? But you’re right Anita, this made me cry what you wrote but at the same time a bit of relief and I felt that I shifted a little bit more my own blame to him.

    Back to T, I know he is not a loving man. When he told me he doesn’t love his girlfriend, Okay it felt like a nice surprise at first but the fact that this relationship means so little to him that he gave me permission to destroy it.. Well I know he won’t break up with her but he cheated  and he will have to live with this, I can’t understand why he thought it was even worth it. I feel guilty about this, I had so many doubts, you know I cancelled this two times and refused when he wanted to meet. Even when he was here, I was scared when his phone rang. It didn’t excite me at all, it scared me, the fact that this girl exists. He never had any doubts, not even once. I opened the door and he kissed me, just like she didn’t exist. If he would say ‘stop’ or ‘slow down’ once, at any moment for the past few weeks, including that meeting, I would stop. Anyway, I don’t enjoy being the one he cheated with on his girlfriend. I know that’s not the beginning of a love story, rather beginning of the end.  I want you to know, I’m not explaining myself. Funny she has everything I ever dreamed of and it turns out she has a man who doesn’t love her and cheats. That’s what I wanted so badly, to have what she has. This fantasy, this ‘make believe’ you told me about.

    Today I wanted to block him, on social media and my phone. It’s not like I don’t have strength to do it, I would but I know he would email me sooner or later or whatever way he would find to text me. And he would joke about it, and I would let it go again. I once already ‘broke up’ with him and we started talking again, and I felt this regret that I should have stayed. I now know I shouldn’t have because a month later he found a girlfriend so I guess it’s good I ended this at that time, I avoided the situation when he would have to tell me to take my things and leave. But after I did this, I had those obsessive thoughts, I almost went crazy, they haunted me from the moment I woke up to the moment I fell asleep.. Every day, every night. I couldn’t stand it. Ruminating, analyzing, obsessing. Like a crowd of people pointing out at me 24/7 and blaming me, reminding me of every moment I did wrong, shouting at me. I can do it, but I’m afraid of those thoughts, those panic attacks, those voices, this guilt. Do you understand? I can block him but I’m scared of my reaction.

    #198887
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Recently I’m starting to have this feeling of exhaustion. Maybe it’s because my mother came back to this house (In last weeks she spends half of a week at the other place though), maybe it’s because he was so rude when he was leaving las time, and I just feel it’s too much. I know how it sounds but he was never rude earlier, even when he did something, he always acted like he cared, even when I found out he slept with someone he “tried” to make it right, apologized, made dinner, wanted to spend every weekend etc. Always pretended it’s all good, was nice and deluded me, in a nice way. So I always convinced myself, well he does want me to stay, he cares a little bit, which was enough for me, being in love with him. Now he was just rude, leaving after two hours. I know he could stay and we could order some food, his girlfriend knows he works till 8pm or even 11pm sometimes, and he has two jobs, so it’s not that unusual for him to come back late. I know he could, but he didn’t care how it looked, and how it would make me feel. Honestly I didn’t think he would just leave me like that, when we talked earlier about this meeting, I thought he would want to spend the night. So humiliating. I’m starting to really regret this. I feel I had enough, I feel exhausted, tortured.

    #198923
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Dear joanna:

    I hope you rest. You can re-read any part of our communication after you rest, when you can handle it, and read only as far as you are okay with reading, take breaks. Come back to it later, take all the time you need.

    You wrote about those thoughts blaming you, “Like a crowd of people pointing out at me 24/7 and blaming me, reminding me of every moment I did wrong, shouting at me… those voices, this guilt. Do you understand? I can block him but I’m scared of my reaction”-

    Yes, I understand. I hear them too, every day. Only I have made much progress noticing them early then disengaging. I am way more mindful and pay attention that indeed my actions are not harmful to others. More progress to be done, still in the process of healing and learning. Always will be.

    I too was exhausted, a whole lot. It is exhausting to live with that crowd you mentioned.

    I understand you not blocking him. My purpose of my posts to you yesterday was not that you block him. I didn’t even think of it as something you might do and I didn’t expect any behavior on your part following my posts.  No such motivation on my part.

    We need love and when we don’t have it, we imagine it is there anyway. Someway, somehow. We look for evidence to support it and find lots of… non-evidence. We make believe.

    anita

     

    #198939
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    I know this wasn’t your purpose. I am so desperate and exhausted that I need to do something so that there is no return.

    #198943
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Dear joanna:

    So there is no return, you mean so that T doesn’t return to your life?

    anita

    #199369
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Dear Anita

    I read again your post from march 22 about a “make believe”,  a fantasy, and not seeing reality for what it is. Thank you for this. At times I saw him as he really is, but I wanted him so badly to be my fantasy, for past years I believed he is. Even after how we ended this in October, how he reacted when I told him I want this over. I did this but didn’t have enough strength to go through this “breakup” so he easily hurt me saying things about getting a new girl next day and details on what he’s going to do with her. I didn’t even think at that time that what kind of man says those things.. I told him I loved him couple of days earlier and he knew why I wanted to end this, yet he said those things to hurt me and break my heart even more. I wasn’t even angry and didn’t judge him for that, when he texted me month later I was nice to him, although I cried almost everyday. As you said I thought I failed to make this loving man to love me. How could I be mad at him. I still had this fantasy he is a good man, loving man, because now he had a girlfriend so turned out he is a loving man. Which meant there was something indeed wrong with me. So I wasn’t angry,  for what he did or said to me. Even when he was there to pick up those things and texted me later about what he fantasized about me. I didn’t think again “what kind of man does that. having a girlfriend now..” Instead my hope returned that he wants me back. I see he is a bad person. I see and I also believe it now. Maybe because of your posts, which really get to me, I am very thankful for the effort you put in helping me to see it clearly. I had the strength to end this, several times in the past, I think it was third time in October when I ended this. But the anxiety and the voices in my head didn’t let me live. I was going crazy every day. And there was always this moment when he wanted to come back and ease this, so I always agreed, with hope and relief.

    My usual thoughts were that I’m losing him again, or that I shouldn’t have left because there could still be chance that he would love me and notice me, one thought that didn’t allow me be to rest was that he always has more time during winter and I shouldn’t  have ended this in October because maybe all would have been different and we would spent some more time together, and I missed this chance.. I should have waited and see maybe.. I didn’t create those thoughts, they came to me. They came to my head, I couldn’t help it. Like I said a crowd of people shouting and pointing out at me. You said you had this experience too but learned to notice it. I noticed it, meditation helped me a bit but couldn’t defend myself from those accusations  I was hearing. I believed it. Now I’m thinking it’s probably over between me and him. I am angry and I judge him for what he did, cheating on her, insisting on this meeting, I know I wanted this too but I am angry he insisted on it, and persuaded me to meet him, and for treating my like this, leaving rudely. I don’t justify him. I don’t analyze what happened like I always did. I don’t beat myself up like I always did “I should do something like he wanted to, he said he likes this and that, I should have this and that ,..” Honestly I don’t care if he was pleased or not, most of my thoughts about this meeting are not beating myself up for not pleasing him enough but more being angry with him.

    After he left, it was Friday and on Saturday I felt so bad, I was crying almost all night and burned my face to punish myself, and I had this thought: I wish he was there to make it right. I wish I could call him and he would come here and say all the right things to ease the pain..he himself has caused.

    I feel a bit uncomfortable and angry for humiliating me.

    #199381
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Dear joanna:

    I was hoping that you will feel angry at him. I wrote you a post on the matter two days ago, suggesting somehow that you express anger at him, but didn’t send it to you because you were exhausted. I was hoping you feel anger at him because it is natural to feel anger at people who hurt you and he has.

    I didn’t even know until I read your most recent post that he told you at the time “details on what he’s going to do with (new girlfriend)” – cruel indeed, his intent clearly was to hurt you, to hurt a person who was already hurting.

    So, yes, anger at him will fit reality. On the other hand hoping that the solution is with him does not fit reality. But I understand believing that it does when you feel it so strongly that it feels real.

    And you will feel it again, believe it again… I hope when you do that you remind yourself of Reality. When you feel this way again, that hope is with him, don’t be surprised or alarmed. Get yourself ready for it now, every day.

    On my walk yesterday some thoughts occurred to me and I felt that I was a bad person. I felt it and believed it. Then I reminded myself: it only feels this way. It is not true. And then I didn’t engage in a conversation or an argument with those voices telling me I am a bad person.

    I removed my thinking from the voices and the feeling went away. After a few moments it was as if I didn’t feel what I felt, I was back to feeling okay.

    When you feel this way again, that he is a good person (he is not!), when you doubt yourself again (you will!) don’t engage in those thoughts. Accept how strongly you feel these things, say to yourself: this is only what I feel. It is not true. And disengage.

    anita

    #199387
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Dear Anita,

    I can’t call it “expressing anger” but when he was leaving I told him that he can’t leave me like that and that it’s rude. He smiled and said something like, jokingly, “I know, rude and arrogant. I hope you’re not gonna set my car on fire for this”. He then wanted to kiss me goodbye but I turned my head, he smiled and joked about it like it’s cute that I’m angry. I switched on the light when he was at the stairs and shut the door. I guess he thought it was funny.

    Okay I know this feeling may return, but it’s just a feeling my mind tricks me into.  I’ll try to remember that.

    Why did you think you were a bad person at this particular moment?

    #199389
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Dear joanna:

    I don’t think your anger is cute, I think your anger is understandable. A good man would have taken it seriously.

    I don’t remember, neither do I want to remember why I felt that way yesterday, on my walk. This is the  point,- to disengage, to let it go. The core belief that I am a bad person, this I do remember how it came about: my mother expressing her misery and blaming me for it, repeatedly and dramatically, ongoing year after year. Naturally, I believed her.

    The verb is to believe. You know when you encounter a person with the strangest beliefs, such as in religion, beliefs you know are untrue? And yet the person believes those things, however illogical, however lacking evidence?

    Same thing with these core beliefs that cause us so much misery. We believe. At times, we get a break and consider this believe is not true, but then triggered by something and it is back, this feeling, this belief.

    Did you watch the movie A Beautiful Mind? The main character there had hallucinations, he was psychotic. He saw people who weren’t there and talked to them. At one time he found the evidence that they were not real: over the decades he spent time with them, he aged but they remained the same age. Including a girl that never turned to become a woman.

    After he realized it, he still saw those people (who weren’t really there) but as he walked by them, he didn’t engage with them, he kept walking. I think he felt that they were there, believed that they were there, but trusted that his feeling did not indicate reality, so he kept walking.

    Same with our false beliefs, delusions. We keep feeling they are real, but like the character in the movie, if we don’t engage with them, if we keep walking, they will not stay long and in the future, appear less and less. Over time, maybe, just maybe they will not show up at all.

    *will soon be away from the computer for sixteen hours or so, maybe in ten minutes or so, not sure.

    anita

    #199391
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Dear Anita

    Yes I saw that movie, long ago but I guess I remember those scenes. I’ll watch them perhaps tomorrow to see. Very often when I have those thoughts I want to fight them, I am angry, I want to “not think them”. I need to learn they will come to me forever and I need to live with them, and have different approach, I know that, I just have to learn it more everytime they come back in difficult times. Do you believe they won’t show up over time if we learn to “keep walking”? Does that even happen that they appear less and less?

    #199403
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Dear Anita

    If I may ask, what was that your mother blamed you for, that you call “her misery”? Was it some specific thing in her life that she accused you of causing, like you being a child and making her life miserable because she, let’s say, couldn’t lead different life, and had to raise you instead, or was it more everyday life resentments, venting about random things. Sorry if this question is poorly asked. You can ignore it, obviously you don’t need my permission to ignore it, just saying it’s fine, just occurred to me so I asked.

    I admire your strength and your persistence, which I can see when you describe your experiences, but also when talking to me. You’re calm and strong. I admire your persistence and patience. I wish I had it, and I wish I had it towards myself too. I wish those thoughts of you being a bad person started to occur less and less, and I wish you would acknowledge and notice more moments when you are being a good person.

    #199503
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Dear joanna:

    Thank you (last paragraph). I am not and was  not stronger than you. The healing  process is available to  you and to me, it is about taking  it on. When you do, and  when you persist through the distress, then you earn the  benefits. It takes so long though, it  is excruciating sometimes. But then, life before was plenty excruciating, for me.

    Regarding  the thoughts (your earlier post), the thoughts that  torment you so, the thoughts you wrote in earlier posts that won’t let you live, yes, they do appear less and less, but the  thing is, concept of time: it is such a slow process that the  expectation has  to  be realistic. You have to focus on practice regardless of how you feel, even though you don’t feel better. It takes  years  of practice.

    Regarding what my  mother blamed me for, I shared earlier with  you that she blamed me for intending to hurt her, to hurt her  feelings, to humiliate  and  ridicule her. She  blamed me for thinking/feeling/doing wrong, for my face having the  wrong  expression, for “being a big zero”.

    anita

     

    #199525
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Dear Anita

    Yes I know you have shared this before, I was reading this yesterday, but I was talking specific situations. Gosh I’ve been accused of my face impression hundreds of times. Tone of my voice, a “way” in which I speak or do. I was asking this because recently I had this situation. (I sometimes write things, sometimes I write to you, but I never send this because I dont want to bother you more than I already do 🙂 but writing “to you” makes me feel better, even though it sometimes stays in my notes. I don’t know why, I just do, so whatever. So this is one of those things). Funny thing about thinking of being a bad person

    My friend had a birthday on Saturday and a driving licence test, so I went with her in the morning (she didn’t pass, but it’s okay, it was a first time, she was very nervous, I guess second time will be better) and then gave her a present and I made a small cake, bought some balloons etc. She first wanted to do this birthday party at my place but I kind of didn’t propose it, she also knows my mother etc, and she knew I’m not that willing to do it, anyway she didn’t ask but I think she wanted to. In the end she said the party will be at her sister’s. When we were there I felt bad I didn’t organize this party at my place, or help her sister more, I had some free time the day before and I said I could help her, she said no, it’s fine. But I should have insisted, she obviously could use some help. When I arrived I saw her sister cooked and decorated everything alone and I felt bad. Like I didn’t help her, although I was at home at 6pm the day before so I could come by and do something. That thought nagged me yesterday and today all the time. Today this friend came for a moment to give me some cake that her mother made today and I said, you shouldn’t have to, why are you giving me this. And she said „I wanted to thank you, you were so nice to me, you went with me to this driving test and bought me balloons and gave me the best presents” I didn’t know if she was joking or what.. Like why do you think I was nice, I was so rude, sitting at home when your sister organized a party, and I didn’t propose to organize it in my flat.. (I didn’t say that, just thought) I still can’t understand what in the world she thanked me for. I felt bad when she said I was nice when in reality (in my reality) I was the worst and rudest person in the world. I still think I was.

     

    #199537
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Dear joanna:

    You believe that you are a bad person, and so, you look for and  focus on evidence that supports this belief and dismiss evidence that suggests otherwise. You focused on what you didn’t do for  your friend and her sister and dismissed what you did do.

    It is similar to this, and  I think I already shared  it with you.  On my daily walk in this wooded area there are sticks on the (private) road. Sometimes I pick some sticks so to be nice  to  the few  drivers on the road, be helpful this way. When I do, the  voice in my voice says to me: you didn’t  pick that stick! And so, I dismissed the evidence of picking the sticks that I did pick and focused on the evidence to support my core belief: you didn’t pick that  stick … because you are  a bad  person.

    This is why there  is  nothing you can do but disengage from the thoughts and  feelings originating from a false  core belief. There will never be enough evidence to refute  it (I can pick sticks for five  hours straight, for example) because there will always be evidence to support the core belief (there will always  be sticks not picked yet, living in a wooded area).

    Do you think that you  are ready to consider that  you are not a  bad person, that you are a good person?

    anita

    #199583
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Dear Anita

    Yes I think I would like to. Although as I said, I wouldn’t know what to think of.

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