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Experiencing Life Again

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  • #114324
    Kupono
    Participant

    I apologize in advance if this isnʻt relevant to this topic, but it seemed like the best one..
    Lately I have been realizing myself “going through the motions” of life. Doing just enough to get by, but not really living at all. I can recall a time when my life was raw, authentic, and enjoyable, but now it seems so empty and lifeless. Everything I do to try to liven it up feels contrived and forced and ends up making me feel worse in the end. Anyway.. I guess what Iʻm saying is how do I get back to feeling everything so deeply, because as of now itʻs as if I feel nothing at all. I want to experience life again, but I am so lost and I think I have lost myself in the process..

    #114337
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Dear Kupono:

    I don’t think it is possible to experience life in a raw, deep and enjoyable way all the time, continuously forever more. There are ups and downs, nothing stays the same, emotions change.

    But if your life is continuously dull, if you feel nothing at all, as you wrote- how long has it been like this for you and what caused the change from joy to joylessness?

    anita

    #114352
    Kupono
    Participant

    It was about a year ago that things started becoming dull, I stared going out less and the things I enjoyed lost their meaning. Nothing really felt right. About two years ago a relationship of mine had an extremely painful ending and I was heartbroken yet relieved and excited for life. I had a year full of adventure and self discovery but now I feel like I have platued and my life is stagnant. Emotions from that last relationship have been coming up to the surface now and I am beginning to feel like I never really addressed them properly.

    #114394
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Dear Kupono:

    Seems like for me to try to be helpful, I have to ask more questions. If you would like to answer, please do and we’ll take it from there:

    1. The “year full of adventure and self discovery”- what did you discover about yourself?

    2. The “Emotions from that last relationship (that you) never really addressed”- what are they?

    anita

    #114445
    Kupono
    Participant

    1. I became vegetarian and started getting more involved in issues that arose instead of ignoring them. My health improved and I was inspired to spend more time with animals (which I already loved to do.) I went out in nature a lot and it was always exhilarating and refreshing. I was also began doing yoga and meditating often, which drastically improved my emotional health.

    Now that I’ve “sobered up” a bit from that initial phase of freedom im starting to reflect back on the relationship. It pains me to think that I was unsupportive and damaging to another persons life, but they weren’t very positive all the time for me either. I often find myself thinking back and missing this person and our time together and I know I should not dwell in the past but it hurts. All these questions begin to arise like what if I paid more attention to them? Was it my fault? Would we still be together? These are all things I never thought about until now and lately it’s been bringing me down a lot. I have not had contact with this person since we fell a part, and I don’t think I have the strength to make contact anyway.

    #114566
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Dear Kupono:

    Just noticed your reply. Will be back to the computer in about 10 hours and reply then.
    anita

    #114629
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Dear Kupono:

    These things that exhilarated you before, you can keep doing them: attending to your physical health, nutrition, time spent in nature and with animals.

    You wrote that what exhilarated you in the past was: ” started getting more involved in issues that arose instead of ignoring them.”

    Well, there is more issues for you to attend to instead of ignoring and that is relationships. There is that last romantic relationship you mentioned and there are the relationships before it, starting with the first relationships you were involved in, those with your parents (and by-proxy, the one between your parents).

    Would you like to share about it, if you think that it is an issue to now look into?

    anita

    #114693
    Kupono
    Participant

    Well my father committed suicide when I was 5 year old, and I have lived with my mother. He became very depressed after his twin died in high school and the stress of his rocky relationship with his parents and surviving brother pushed him into depression. He then turned to drugs and alcohol as a fix, which only made things worse. One of my last memories of my father is being woken up early in the morning by y mother to drive and find my father who had passed out on the side of the road, after that we went home and picked the thorns and seeds out of his clothing while my mother cried. I was four years old. A few years after his death, she remarried another man whom she divorced after a few years. She then was on and off dating women, bringing someone new into out lives for about a year or so until they fell a part and left. I was always heartbroken when this happened because I grew deeply attached to each one of them. She is a strong believer that God does not want us being attracted to the same sex and this is something she struggles with deeply. My mother can be extremely bipolar and narcissistic and this had a detrimental affect on me growing up. She would often lash out at us and her hypocrisy was through the roof. Always acting in the very ways she told us not to. When my father died she became an alcohloic and this continued until a couple years ago (Iʻm only 17). I do understand that she is doing the best she can and she could have just given up on us but I cannot deny the fact that our relationship has been a mostly negative one. During the summer of 8th grade I began “talking” to a guy (I am also a guy). I had never done this before but it felt right and was really nice. Heʻd call me cute and weʻd talk on the phone and spend time at paddling practice together. One night while I was on the phone my mother came in and asked who I was talking to (she was upset, and I do admit I should have been asleep) and I told her I was sorry and hung up (avoiding her question) She then proceeded to take my phone and left. She came back several minutes later and asked my who Kekoa was (the name of the boy) and I told her that he was my friend, she began reading the text he sent after I abruptly hung up on him. He apologized and was asking what happened and said something along the longs of how much he cared about me. She looked directly at me and in an angry, almost disgusted tone she asked if I was gay. With tears in my eyes I told her no because I was extremely afraid and she began to tell me that she was taking away my phone, I was grounded and I would not be continuing paddling since she did not was me to see “this boy” anymore because he was a bad influence. Her words “I will not allow this in my house” will forever be burned into my memory. I think at that moment something inside of me broke, and I have not been the same since. Of course, thereʻs a lot more as I havenʻt even gone through my high school experience or that much in depth with our relationship but this is already so much for you to digest. Hopefully not too much!

    Thanks

    Kupono

    #114716
    Peppermint
    Participant

    Dear Kupono,
    I can not believe that people like your mother still exist in our time and age! It makes me angry. How can anyone believe that a loving god would care if two people, who are in love with each other, are male/female, male/male or female/female? It boggles the mind. I’m sorry that you are in this situation. Do you have people you can talk to about it? Other relatives or friends?

    #114747
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Dear Kupono:

    I just noticed your latest post and started reading it- it sure requires more time and attention than I have now. I will be back at the computer in about 6 hours or longer and will read, re-read and reply then.

    anita

    #114796
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Dear Kupono:

    what a heart breaking story: from your father’s depression, addiction and suicide to your mother’s personality disorders, her multiple partners, her abuse of you… and her hypocrisy regarding same sex relationships.

    Did I get it right: you are a 17 year old boy… still attending high school?

    Living with your mother?

    anita

    #114797
    Kupono
    Participant

    Yes, you got it right. With regards to friends and family, I have spoken with some of them about the situation but not every thing in its entirety. I donʻt feel I am close enough to anyone to really tell them about the whole thing and quite frankly I donʻt think they would care enough either. I am at a loss here.

    #114823
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Dear Kupono:

    In your original post you wrote: “how do I get back to feeling everything so deeply, because as of now itʻs as if I feel nothing at all”-

    At one time not long ago you felt alive, and you want that feeling back.

    Reading your life story, I believe you felt very hurt and scared as a child. What children do when overwhelmed with fear and hurt is they dissociate- remove reality from their awareness best they can, so it doesn’t scare them or hurts them as much.

    Dissociation feels numb, as if you are observing your life instead of living it. There is less pain but there is also hardly any joy. It happened to me.

    The thing is, when you dissociate (which happens automatically, the brain protecting itself), sometimes you get a break. For example, as dissociated as I was I was able to experience intense joy when I visited Disnelyand for the very first time. But then I went back to dissociation- which was the normal for me.

    Back to the quote from your original post: for you to feel “everything so deeply” would be you feeling more of the fear and hurt that is not connected well to your awareness at the present time. To feel present and alive you have to go through a process of healing and access that hear and hurt, gently, gradually relax and release those and then you will access- on an ongoing basis, not just when the brain takes a break- being alive.

    The place for such healing is in psychotherapy with a competent, empathetic therapist over a period of months at the least. It would be ongoing work. You need a context of SAFETY to do this kind of work. In competent therapy, the safety would be in that relationship.

    For now, since you don’t have anyone to talk to, please use this medium and share all that you need to share. I will attentively, empathetically and respectfully read everything you write and reply every single time that you post. Let this- in communication with me- be your safe place for now.

    anita

    #114880

    Youre a beautifuk oerson nothings wrong with u do whatever gives u safety hope happiness focus on your happiness innevery day life, also for those who think jesus isnt a loving god, let people believe what gives them happiness. Jesus doesnt teach people to be mean or not loving, christiabity is about loving, whoever judges or is being mean is sinning and hopefully they kearn from it, we are all human, struggle helps us grow learn and help inspire people dealing and its all worth it beautiful personl you arent alone one day ull look back on this and smile because u got grough it, theres nothing wrong wtih u. Focus on daily baby steps your happiness always comes first u can helpmpeople by being you. Est yummy food read try new things hobbies anything different inagine what u want make steps to go for it theres a billion thingsnin life u havent seen yet snd its so incredible beest of luck to u we love u so much and beautiful u are a angel keep shining youll be ok im 19nive seen many of my little brothers aka my younger guy gay or lgbtq driends find someone they love and get through their struggles you can gpbe happy too, it starts with u, for now focus on what u can control how u see yourself how u treat others eith kindness your mom and mean people will get it eventually, be the change and be nice keep being awesome u, theres lots of good in the world life is beautiful and ur one of the people that make it this eay, it alk holds a lesson dont stop believing in hope Love Leni ♡Livelovelifeleni Positivity&Motivation ♡ u are never alone bless u

    #114993
    Kupono
    Participant

    Thanks everyone for all the kind words, it really does mean a lot.. I have been very busy so I apologize for the late reply. It’s getting hard to live with her, it’s so damaging to my spirit but I have no choice. She has recently been asking over and over if I have anorexia. It’s always something new with her, constantly wondering if something is wrong with me to try and “explain” why I am the way I am.

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