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I left, and now feel major regret

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Viewing 11 posts - 16 through 26 (of 26 total)
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  • #323917
    Jim
    Participant

    Brandy,

    i know to her it looks as if im saying one thing and actions proved otherwise. I talked to her for over 2 hours when i told her i wanted to leave. She wasnt overly emotional but i could tell she was taking some subtle “jabs” at my points, which led me to believe that she wasnt in agreement. Also, she tried to leave it open ended but i told her thats not a good idea.

    initially i may have hurt her. But from the most recent conversations it doesnt seem that way. I dont want her to be hurting, i do want her to forgive on top of give me a second chance (i know thats selfish and a lot to ask).

    the time alone has made me reflect on the topics of conversation and analyze them deeper. Of course it could be the loneliness and lack of contact that puts what we had on a pedestal but ive been looking at her past as more of a positive and not a negative.

    i decided that, if i get the opportunity, i want to know more about these situations, meet the family members, see what she struggles with every day and how she copes with mental illness. I want to let her in on my family and friends (since i was reluctant to do so before) and see what this desire i have inside is to seek these opportunities.

    do i see her as wife material? When it fame to how she treated me and how we got along, yes. The physical part of our relationship wasnt completely there for me but its something i can work on. The only big variable for me is the bipolar, to what extent would it be a major problem, as it seems to have caused many problems for her previously, the question is, is it under control. As ive stated before, 9/10 relationships or marriages fail with a bipolar diagnosis, the odds are awful, but in that 1/10, can it be great?

    as of now, i dont expect to ever hear from her in an intimate way again. She has said repeatedly that she wishes i didnt do what i did and maybe things can change another time but right now, they cant. But like you said, i think i wore out my welcome by being so solid and unapologetic when i left, it probably hurt and opened her eyes.

    #323923
    Brandy
    Participant

    Hi again,

    I’m not trying to make you feel bad but I’ll be honest in saying that I can see why she took jabs at your reason for wanting to end things. It was a less messy way out for you and it put the blame on her, made her feel like she messed up, that she was overcommunicating via text with you and it turned you off. So, the natural response from her would be to fix it, stop communicating as much, after all, it really is a minor transgression, isn’t it? But you were having none of that. Your mind was made up. So the logical conclusion would be the one she made, the more accurate one about why the break up was happening.

    So yes, she was hurt, but also pissed off. What you are seeing now is the pissed off part.

    If your mind is set on getting her back then you need to be honest with her. Write her a letter and explain the real reason why you ended things. Look, she already knows! Tell her that your inexperience and ignorance about her issues scared you, that they still scare you but that you want to learn more, and that you miss her. Seriously, what’s wrong with that? Those issues would scare me too because they’re scary.

    But now you say “the physical part of our relationship wasn’t completely there for me but its something i can work on”. Wait, what?? I don’t think so. It’s either there or it’s not, in my opinion.

    B

    #323935
    Jim
    Participant

    Brandy,

    i appreciate you being real with me, as i expect the truth. Thats what im here for.

    she has told me to leave it be. Thats what i planned to do. If she decides to talk to me again, i wasnt going to just take it and pick back up, i feel that she deserved a full truthful explanation. If it runs her off, then i can live with it.

    writing her a letter after she has told me to leave it be, is that a good idea? She has said shes moved on so shouldnt i respect what she is telling me?

    when i talk of the physical part, im going to get more shame for this but i will tell the honest truth. My initial attraction was there for sure. We did not hook up for weeks, which honestly is rare in my recent dating years. The first few times were great but as that time wore on, i started to focus on specific things. She had lost a good bit of weight prior to us meeting, and i could tell in her physique once the clothes were off. Once my focus was drawn to this, my interest level went down and i had a hard time with the hooking up part, to the point that the last time it happened, i was basically useless. I apologized when this happened and she told me “dont ever feel the need to apologize for this aspect”.

    At that point, i thought to myself that this definitely isnt going to work. With everything compounded in my head, im checking out so i did.

    now reading back on everything, im shallow and very quick to make judgmental decisions, im well aware. This is all a lesson to learn, and when i said i could work on the physical part, i mean it. I want to grown into being a more accepting person, and not having so many “hang ups” that have led me to this point at my age.

    will that cause me grief in my future? I dont know, but it sure has caused me grief to this point, so how much worse can it get?

    #323937
    Jim
    Participant

    Brandy,

    you also say that “this her also pissed off”

    she doesnt really show that shes pissed, she shows that shes over it. So i guess that could be one way of dealing with it, but it also feels like her responses are some sort of way to make me feel the pain now.

    what i mean is, she knows i want a second try, but is very short with me and seems like she basically knows its making me hurt in her response.

    thats why i feel like i just need to stay away, and hope we can talk one day down the road, if that ever happens. When cooler heads prevail.

    #323947
    Brandy
    Participant

    Okay, I understand, all the more reason why she may want to find someone else, a man who finds her desirable just the way she is because, face it, as she ages those physical characteristics will likely not vanish into midair one day.

    And yes, you’re right, perhaps the letter isn’t a good idea after all and wouldn’t be respecting her decision.

    So a good therapist can help you overcome hang ups you may have, and maybe you do have some, but even if you were totally hang-up free, this woman may not be the right one for you. It’s asking a lot of a therapist to help you to desire a physical characteristic that you find undesirable in a woman whose got some serious issues that would concern anyone, not just you, and whom you’ve known for mere months. In other words, if you were married for years and suddenly had problems in the bedroom with your wife and mother of your kids, maybe a therapist can help with that, but at this stage in a relationship most couples can’t keep their hands off each other, and compound that with your other valid concerns, I just don’t know.

    What I’m getting at is I don’t see you as being shallow for having high standards when searching for a wife and the future mother of your kids. Have high standards!

    B

    #323951
    Jim
    Participant

    Brandy,

    i am learning more now than i ever have in the past. I never knew how much help i could get from the opinions in these forums. It feels good to have help and attempt to help others from my previous history.

    now for me, i guess i start facing issues this has brought to my surface. If someone comes along that i mesh with, im not opposed, if she comes back, i assess based on the situation. I would be selfish to drag her through the same scenario a second time, if we ever meet again.

    #323953
    Brandy
    Participant

    A decent date is with someone you mesh with. A potential wife is someone who hits it out of the ballpark.

    #323963
    Brandy
    Participant

    Last thing….

    If a friend came to you and said,

    “I was seeing a really great girl. We had a fantastic connection. She was very easy to be around, treated me well and I really liked her…still do. But I ended things with her because of issues in her past, and I regret it. She was very open and honest with me about those issues, and in hindsight I believe that in overcoming her problems she has demonstrated strength and depth of character. She was addicted to drugs, diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a victim of physical abuse, has a poor relationship with some family members and, to be honest, I don’t find her body all that desirable/attractive. But still, I feel I broke it off because I focus too much on others’ flaws and it’s sabotaging my love life.”

    …what would you tell your friend?

    #323989
    Jim
    Participant

    Brandy,

    i would tell my friend that he sounds totally confused. From the sounds of it, you either need to stick to your decision and be comfortable with it, or figure out whether your expectations on attraction are real or not.

    i guess we like what we like, and we desire by instinct. If something is telling us “no” or “we dont like it”, its not something thats easily controlled.

    its a crazy thought. Every time we would get together, i would find her attractive, until the physical part started. The last time i saw her, which was a few weeks ago at a work event, i found her very attractive and my heart was racing as if i was extremely nervous. I dont know if its the face that she seems more desirable to me because, i thought i could get her back on my own terms, but she has turned me down and is now more attractive based on that fact?

    i honestly never expected this situation to turn out the way it did. Its for a reason, and we will find out what that reason is in time.

    #324017
    Brandy
    Participant

    Years ago I learned in a course I was taking that marketers discovered a trick for getting consumers to really want a particular product: Make that product temporarily unavailable. Unavailability makes us want it more.

    This is why people play “hard to get”. But once you get her, do you really want her?

    I would say that if you find her very attractive up until the physical part starts, you don’t really want her. My two cents.

    B

    #324039
    Jim
    Participant

    Brandy,

    i completely agree with that idea. It was weird. The first month after i ended it, i was perfectly fine, going on dates that didnt pan out, i would see her post on social media and i wouldnt even be wondering what she was up to.

    i read up on the stages of grief after being the one who leaves and they say that you will feel relief at first, then the remorse can set in. Mone didnt set in until a month post, and naturally after i was very alone. The alone part makes it worse, but i feel like there is something thats drawing me to this woman. I will find out in time, or wont find out at all, who knows.

Viewing 11 posts - 16 through 26 (of 26 total)

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