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I don't know what to do with myself

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Viewing 13 posts - 16 through 28 (of 28 total)
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  • #206719
    Ik09
    Participant

    Yes I said I like her mother but it was because of the way she raised him…. This guy had the qualities I did not find in any other man earlier…. He was polite and respectful and understanding and encouraging to me…apart from that the way he behaved with other people made me love him even more… He was patient with people, took time to understand matters and tried solving things.

     

    I did not like the way his mum invaded his privacy but it’s his mother, I cannot complain about his mother to him. Yes I did encourage h maybe I am wrong but I hug my mum and papa at every opportunity I can find… I feel like I want to do it often so that I remember about it after they are gone. I just encouraged him so that he doesn’t regret not doing it when she was around. She has been a breast cancer patient and goes through regular checkups. Although she is healthy right now but even small complications are scary. He only has his mum now… None of his other family members are close to him.

     

    Good night and tell me about it when you find time… I am sorry for taking so much of your time but your perspective is really helpful.

    #206835
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Dear IpkR09:

    I am glad to spend my time on your thread.

    In the post before last you wrote that his mother tried to listen to his phone conversations with you, checked his phone for texts and read them when he was asleep,  disapproved of him shutting the door to his own room, demanded that he tells her the reason he wants to go out with friends (at 22 years old), the reasons he wants “to go explore someplace”. You wrote that he was often angry with her, his voice raised when talking to her.

     

    In the recent post you shared that you encouraged him to hug his mother so that he will not regret not hugging her when she is gone.

    My input: you inaccurately projected your experience with your parents into him. You feel comfortable hugging your mother and you will regret it later if you don’t hug her at every opportunity, so you assumed it is the same for him. That was your mistake. Unlike you he is angry at his mother. A person should not hug another when angry, it is not natural.

    I understand that she was very tight with money and didn’t give him enough, but I let this issue be. I am focusing on her invading his privacy. This is something wrong that she is doing to him. She has been hurting him this way, harming is mental health by doing so and this is why he is angry at her.

    When he complained to you about her invading his privacy, did you respond by defending his mother, telling him that it is okay she is invading his privacy because she is his mother, because she raised him without help and so on, that he shouldn’t be angry at her and instead hug her as often as possible?

    anita

    #206859
    Ik09
    Participant

    It was our thing that unless we ask for a suggestion, when we used to vent to one other, we should just listen and give any Input only when asked for it.

    Whenever he used to talk about her, immediately after talking about it, he used to ask me to humour him or tell him something happy or interesting to change his mood and I used to do that.

    He said he liked my parents because they were my parents… apart from that he neither wanted to talk about parents or relatives… Even if I used to say happily that you know you will love this uncle Of mine, he is crazy funny…he used to say I do not wish to meet them unless they come to visit us…even then I will greet them kindly and then go my way… entertaining them is not my thing.

     

    I understand this was because the way his relatives reacted when his father passed away. So I did not push it further and used to change the topic to something light and amusing.

    I did however once complain to him about his mother when he was criticising mine for some issue. Yes, I was trying to hurt him back and he understood that immediately and after small fight… We apologized.

    There was a thing which bugged me during the relationship a lot, he never apologized first except for once and never accepted his mistakes. That was perhaps why apart from telling me that he is not sure about his future, he did not take any responsibility in the break up.

     

    Yeah one more thing which I remember… I don’t know why I could not remember this earlier…  When he broke up …he said I don’t think I am capable of taking care of both you and my mother and if I have to choose between you and her, I will choose her and I said I understand she is your mum…I did not speak much that day because I did not want to cry infront of him, it would have made it worse.

    Although I remember whenever she used to call him while we were on call, I used to say take her call because I knew it would be brief and then call me back… I often suggested that you should spend some time with yourself, talking to me and your mum must make you even more drained out than you already are and he used to say I don’t want to take her call, everyday same thing…. You, however make me more energetic. I used to take it as doing something right and thus would continue talking.

     

     

    Maybe due to my nagging related to his dreams…he just gave up on them entirely…made him feel like his mum…. I don’t know… This was his problem, he never used to speak what bothered him till we were in a fight.

    #206871
    Ik09
    Participant

    Actually to be really honest, my parents have never restricted me from talking to people or going out…unless the call was really long or if I came home late…

    The behaviour of his mother was something different to me and I never quite accepted it, the very first time he complained, I told him to talk to her and talk about boundaries and he said that I don’t know his mum and he cannot talk to her about anything without shouting. After that I never discussed or suggested anything in this regard and unlike in other matters he did not even ask for my opinion.

    I remember he did not tell me this but when he made me meet his cousin brother once, he told me are you really sure about him, his anger issues are really bad, do you know he ran away from his home one night after a bad argument with his mum when he was 16. We searched and searched and found him at a park really far away from home… It was difficult to convince him to come back. Make sure you know him well before dating him to which I had replied that

     

    He might have been that way, it was his past. I don’t want to judge him on that but I have never seen him getting angry with me in a way that I cannot handle so I think I know who I am dating and I am sure about him.

     

    His cousin’s words seemed harsh to me and I did not think about that incident until now that I am inspecting his current behaviour, the pressure of family and his past.

    His college friends also had Something similar to say that he has anger management issues but to be frank he never remained angry with me more than 15-20 mins.

     

    He had told me when in senior high, he took meditation classes on his mother’s insistence and that had calmed him down a lot since childhood. And he told me this before I met the cousin or his college friends. He never really connected to people, made friends but soon used to find faults with them. He is not a bad man but he has trouble communicating his feelings to people and so when they take advantage to him, he will wait and wait and wait till it is too much and then just burst with angry words and stop talking to them.

    #206873
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Dear IpkR09:

    You wrote earlier, before we started the communication about his relationship with his mother: “he told me … he wanted to focus on providing her (his mother, that is) a good life but he said that when we met, he just fell for me”

    What I read in it then and still do is that he felt that his choice is between his mother and you, that he has to focus on her but when he met you he unintentionally fell in love for you.

    It reads to me that his mother possessed him, demanded that he will be hers. As if he is her property, her belonging.

    No one likes to be possessed. We are all born… to be free.

    And so, she has damaged him and led him to a life of suffering. He feels responsible for a woman he is very angry at. He feels like he has to be devoted to a woman he hates.

    Not a good life for him. Not a good life for a woman involved with him.

    anita

    #206895
    Ik09
    Participant

    Anita you have been very very helpful in pointing out all the things that went wrong, I cannot begin to tell you how much at ease that makes me feel. I truly feel like it is best that he is on his own, not because ‘oh! that serves him right’ but because he needs to know freedom in a way he hasn’t before.

    There are numerous things wrong with me and I need to work on them before I commit to anybody as well.

    I felt bad that he is not communicating, now I feel that even if he wants to, he wouldn’t. And for the most parts, he doesn’t want to as well and to be him right now frankly sucks, I hope things work out for him. I wish I could help but no I need to help myself and he needs to help himself.

    I cannot begin to tell you, Anita, how I am feeling inside. A few days ago there was massive confusion and storm of pain, hurt ego, anger and what not, I feel calmer now. I feel like I am ready to focus on me more confidently.

    I am going to disappear from his life as in entirely no texts, not even asking any questions, nothing. He reaches out, I will talk like a friend and constantly remind myself that I am still in the repairment mode.

    Thank You, You are doing an excellent job here. It is self less and pure. I respect you a lot.

     

    #206899
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Dear IpkR09:

    You are welcome. Glad you are feeling calmer and ready to focus on you more confidently. Clarity does it: making us feel calmer and able to focus on what matters most, on who we can help, ourselves.

    Thank you for your appreciation. Post anytime you’d like.

    anita

    #209353
    Ik09
    Participant

    Hi, I feel like a fallen warrior.

    I will not beat around the bush and come straight to the point- The dreams just don’t stop. I feel like a crazy person that I am dreaming about a person who left my life two months ago.

    The dreams in the first few weeks were all about me and him sitting in a park, in the dark and he keeps on telling me my issues. When I used to wake up I used to understand that this was my brain telling me stuff.

    Eventually scenarios changed, sometimes I found out that he was dealing with some terminal disease, sometimes I found out that he broke up to go out with another girl, once he barged into my house only to tell me how horrible I was and I would die alone. In all cases, It was never positive.

    I did have one positive dream where he just sat with me in the same park and just said I am sorry.

    I had dreams where in I was asking him whether we were wrong as people for each other or whether the timing was bad…

     

    Nevertheless, In all scenarios I did understand that my brain was playing games with me and I used to be fine all day except for the sleeping part. I did not feel like sleeping, i was scared to sleep. But a tired body eventually sleeps. In short, destroyed my sleep cycle again.

     

    Recently I was focusing all my energy on an event, The first of my list for my parents- celebrating their marriage anniversary with my own money. It was their 31st Anniversary and I told them in advance I was taking everyone out. Everyone was excited. I had planned everything and was happy for myself that good things were finally coming into my life. Two hours ahead of us heading out to the venue, something went wrong at the venue. They said they cannot host anybody today and are ready to compensate for everything. I tried calling other places, surprisingly every place was booked. I told my parents about the situation and that lets go out anyway. My parents did not say a word but their faces told me they were disappointed. We went out, ate at a small joint( One we always go to) and my father did not let me pay for it.

    Something happened that day. I felt like a failure. when depressed I had been preparing for a Civil service Exam in my country and I decided I did not want to do it very earnestly because the pressure makes me very stressed and I don’t like being stressed. I saw the same look that was on my parent’s face when I told them i did not want to study for the exams anymore and instead want to pursue my masters.

    So from past three days, All the thoughts of being a failure have resurfaced. I tried writing it out so as to let it out but it is not leaving me at all. The self love has turned into self loathing. I have six days to prepare for my M.A first year exams. Funniest bit- I am a student of Philosophy and yet …

     

    This is what I wrote to let my feelings out-

    I am taking this time to write something important. I could have done anything else, perhaps study for my exams, exams that are going to begin in some 7 days. But instead I chose to write today.

     

    I feel our world, our education system, nay our parents and family… everyone has steered us into the wrong direction. They all asked us to follow the same age old road- Education, Career, if you find someone you care about in the first two stages, you marry them or you keep on trying to find someone to love again and again- Marriage becomes a mistake then, the next stage is having kids and then waiting for old age and ultimately death to arrive. Some do it in this sequence, some change it but ultimately it is these things that make a human life worth living.

    I am at a stage in life, where everything seems nonsensical and without a purpose. I aced through school and college, and then I got tired of everything. The only thing that kept me working for the future was the concept of love. I loved someone. In a manner that consumed me and when he left, it left me with nothing. Soon I felt like I was failing in all aspects of my life. I failed as a daughter when I could not keep jobs or study harder to give them a position in society that everyone would appreciate; I felt I failed as a sister when my brother could no longer look up to me seeing the epitome of success. I failed as a partner when he left without saying a word about why he actually wanted to leave. Perhaps I failed at making him comfortable around me. I failed as a granddaughter when I harboured regrets about my behaviour towards them. I failed as a friend when my best friend stopped talking to me altogether, she was right somewhere I did ignore her.

    At this point of my life, I only feel like a failure and the ghost of my successful past comes to haunt me. I really want the bad dream to be over but it never does.

     

    I just want to sleep and sleep till I vanish into nothingness. I don’t want to know what I am actually feeling. I wanted to kill myself but I know I am not strong enough to ever do it, the pain before dying, It scares me.

    I feel like a weak person who has no strength to do anything for herself. Also I do need to say this, I feel like I have a lot to say to someone but I don’t want to seem weak in front of anybody. I don’t want to blame anybody for my situations, It is only me who can do it. But the stress of exams and that I am not able to concentrate is just adding to the problem.

     

     

    Till I don’t let go of the negativity, I don’t think I can love myself or anything. I know for sure, I don’t want to love any person again. Being in the state I am, I will just depend on them eventually for my emotions and that is what I don’t want.

    #209365
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Dear ipkR09:

    Let’s look at what happened here: “I was focusing all my energy on an event… celebrating their marriage anniversary with my own money… Everyone was excited… good things were finally coming into my life…their faces told me they were disappointed… my father did not le me pay”-

    Notice: this event was very important to you because you expected to please your parents. This is what was so important to you: to see their happy faces as they eat the food you buy for them in a venue that will please them.

    Your plan has failed: instead of happy faces, what you got was disappointed faces.

    You wrote: “I am at a stage in life, where everything seems nonsensical and without a purpose”- I think that our first purpose as children is to please our parents, to see that smile of approval on their faces, to see them happy to have us in their lives. When that purpose fails again and again, life does seem nonsensical.

    It is that smile of approval, that message from our parents that they are happy we are in their lives that is love, the love we need so desperately. Without their love, how do we love ourselves?

    anita

     

    #209369
    Ik09
    Participant

    You are right Anita and yet again I was expecting to see my happiness through their happiness. But then How does one stop expecting. I really want them to be happy. I am not a hermit so obviously, I do miss the guy I still love, but due to my aspirations towards the smiles of my parents and my siblings I get past the hurt and focus on them. But then when I fail in my attempts, It brings back all the hurt and all past pain… all at once.

    #209377
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Dear IpkR09:

    “How does one stop expecting”?-

    Stop trying to please your parents (and siblings), stop trying to make them happy. Give up on the dream.

    Maybe it takes moving far away. Maybe it takes going to psychotherapy. Maybe it takes being sad for a long time and allowing yourself to be sad for as long as you need be.

    I think it takes staying with “all that hurt and all past pain”, to feel it and not try to run away from the feeling. It takes accepting reality for what it is, for love not being where it is not.

    The good news is love is someplace else. When we stop trying to find it where it is not, we become free to look for it someplace else.

    anita

    #209379
    Ik09
    Participant

    You are right. Maybe avoiding the pain makes it a big deal, embracing it will lessen the blow.

    I will see your words again whenever I doubt myself again.

    Thank you once again.

    I will pray for your health and happiness. Thank you

    #209387
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Dear IpkR09:

    You are very welcome. Thank you for the good wishes and do post again anytime.

    anita

Viewing 13 posts - 16 through 28 (of 28 total)

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