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AIBU?

Does time really heal all wounds?

22 replies

Healmywounds · 23/05/2018 17:04

I have been through a lot since marrying my husband in 2011, my husband was lovely in the beginning but he started getting abusive and controlling when we got married. He would shout a lot, call me every name under the sun, not allowing me have a phone. He would push me in arguments and throw things at me, threaten to smash the tv, insult my family and belittle me in public under guise of jokes.

My mil has never liked me, I tried my hardest to get along with her but she thinks the sun shines out of his arse and he can do no wrong in her eyes, but she will find faults in everything I do from how I raise my children til how I cook and clean.

He doesn’t work and although I do everything in the house, she still moans at me for not ironing his clothes or cooking for him. She has told him he deserves someone better than me, she makes me feel worthless in my own home. But I’ve realised it’s not me that’s the problem, it’s her.

So after years of abuse from him and his mother, I have made the decision to leave.

I’m moving out in 2 weeks, but I just can’t help stop thinking about the way they treated me, and it really angers me that I’ve let them do this to me for so long.

I also can’t stop thinking about if she will like the new daughter in law better ? I know it’s silly and I really need to learn how not to give this woman any headspace.

So does time really heal all wounds or is it just a saying? Does it get better?

Obviously this experience has made me a stronger and wiser person, but I’m still hurting 😔

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TheHulksPurplePanties · 23/05/2018 17:08

Time makes it less raw, less in the forefront of your mind, which means you can move on and live a normal life again. The word heal implies forgiven and forgotten, so less healed and more a scar you learn to forget about unless you suddenly spot it in the mirror or someone points it out.

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speakingwoman · 23/05/2018 17:09

Glad to hear you are leaving....

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Calvinlookingforhobbs · 23/05/2018 17:09

Get some counselling. Take care.

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GreatDuckCookery6211 · 23/05/2018 17:13

Yes imo it does OP. Right now you're in the middle of something horrible, give yourself the chance to get out, start a new life and heal. You will look back and think " thank goodness I'm out of all of that " as far as MIL treating another DIL any different, I doubt it. She sounds horrible and unlikely to change.

Take care and good luck.

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Kisbot · 23/05/2018 17:17

Good explanation by thehulk.
It helps enormously if you keep strong and make a good life for yourself, which you will. Seeing you happy will hurt them far more than if they know you’re worrying.
Chin up and well done for having the strength to make a move.
You win!

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Healmywounds · 23/05/2018 17:22

Thank you so much for your replies. Yes I'm starting my own business soon and I want to go university later on, so I'm determined to make something out of my life and give my children a good life.

But you know when you keep replaying the same things in your head? That's where I am now.

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BananasAreTheSourceOfEvil · 23/05/2018 17:22

Flowers for you OP, that sounds like a terrible situation.

In answer to your question... no. That is only my experience though. I say no, because the real anger/hurt comes from unresolved situations.

There will be things you will look back on that sting and hurt right now that in time you will shrug off and say 'what a dick/bitch'. You've identified that they both treat you like crap, which goes a long way in terms of closure and allowing you to be angry atm but then let go of, once you are out of the situation...

...but there will always be things that ex or exMIL will never acknowledge or even perceive that they have been wrong. Those are the ones that rankle the most. As people we judge each other by our own standards and we would expect at the very least, an apology when someone we are involved with so closely tramples all over them. The crap part is that sometimes we dont get that apology. Thats the stinging part.

Should you let it go? Yes (in an ideal world). Will you? I dont know. Can you? I dont know.

I have learned to let go of a lot of crap with my ex, and laugh at him for it now. There are some things though that still make my blood boil to this day. Maybe thats a way of reminding us never to go back Wink.

Find a good counsellor, or maybe a woman's shelter as you have been experiencing emotional abuse, then talk to them. I promise it is so cathartic.

I dont think time heals all wounds, but it does a good job of putting things in perspective and making sure you never allow yourself to be bullied like that again.

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Hidingtonothing · 23/05/2018 17:25

I think moving out and being away from them both will help hugely, even without the time element. Sounds a bit trite but whether time heals is largely down to you, you can choose to continue to let it make you angry and end up becoming bitter or you can use that anger constructively to make positive changes.

Obviously the latter is the way to go, take all that anger and outrage at the way they've treated you and use it to build yourself up into a person who will never let that happen again. Work on your self esteem, personal boundaries and creating a happy life for yourself while you have that anger to motivate you and you will be able to let it go, because you will have something better to move on to.

This bit is shit and of course you're hurting but they've done you enough damage, don't let them do any more. That saying 'the best revenge is a life well lived' is appropriate here I think, you will be free very soon and can leave them far behind you, that's a win whichever way you look at it. As for any future DIL, the only feeling you need to have about her is pity, she will be stuck with precisely what you are escaping Flowers

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TheHulksPurplePanties · 23/05/2018 17:26

But you know when you keep replaying the same things in your head? That's where I am now.

That lessens, A LOT, as you move further away. I'm 16 years down the road and I don't do that much anymore and the very rare time I do (always about the mil never the ex) I move away from the thought quickly. I've too many good things to focus on.

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MumW · 23/05/2018 17:30

Don't worry, for that kind of MIL, NO DIL will be good enough even if she says they are to your face you know that they'll be treating the next woman just as badly behind closed doors.

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Summerinrome · 23/05/2018 17:34

You will at some point be in a place where it no longer hurts you at all. I was in a very violent relationship and got over it in time. Now I never think about it.

Forgive yourself for not leaving sooner. You left / leaving when the time is/was right for you. The important thing is that you do it and be proud that you found the strength and you will now move forward.

There will be no daughter in law on the planet that will be good enough for mil trust me, assuming he manages to find someone to put up with him the poor woman needs your prayers having to deal with all the crap you have endured.

Your wounds will heal better with counselling and talking.

Be happy your new life awaits

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Healmywounds · 23/05/2018 17:41

Yes I'm exciting for the future, and thank god im moving nearly 200 miles away from them. That helps aswell, I won't be running into MIL in town that's for sure!

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derxa · 23/05/2018 17:59

In answer to your question... no. That is only my experience though. I say no, because the real anger/hurt comes from unresolved situations. Those are very wise words. I haven't had the same experiences as you but I still replay a particular situation in my head. From 20 years ago.
I've tried counselling but I think what would have helped more is asking one person face to face why they did what they did. Maybe I'm wrong and it wouldn't help. Who knows. Anyway you sound very positive about your future. Good luck.

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DaffoDeffo · 23/05/2018 18:05

I also agree it doesn't really go away. It just takes up less space in your head. I didn't have the same situation at all but I did have a very acrimonious divorce and I still go through days where it really upsets me and winds me up. But these don't happen very often now. I'm around 7-8 years post divorce.

I don't know if you have dcs but the fact that I do keeps the issue in my mind as I still have to have some dealings with exh. I think if I could have cut him out of my life completely and moved away, it would probably be occupying even less of my mind now!

I agree you sound positive about the future. Embrace it and move away from these poisonous people!

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Healmywounds · 23/05/2018 21:54

Thank you 😊. One thing my MIL said to me was "I expect more from you, because kids normally take the piss out of their parents"

AIBU to think WTF? She said this to me in an argument when I asked her why she's always finding faults in everything I do but will never say anything to her son.

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WittyJack · 23/05/2018 22:03

Heal so it hurts less and you can live with it? Yes.

Heal so there is no scar and you're as unbroken as new? No.

Good luck OP 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

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Healmywounds · 24/05/2018 08:38

Thanks Wittyjack, I'm aware I will never forget, but hope the pain lessens as the time goes by.

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bannanahammock · 24/05/2018 09:01

healmywounds You've done amazingly well just to get up and make the decision to leave.
I would say time doesn't heal as such, but it definitely helps you learn to live with what has happened. I have so many unanswered questions from my childhood, and I haven't learnt to accept them.... because when something upsets you that much it's not natural to accept it. But what you do learn is how to move forward with life, but be kind to yourself. When you have a down day or these questions pop in your head, allow yourself even a short time to just sit and think. Don't keep pushing it to the back of your mind, you're allowed to be upset sometimes and take a moment of reflection, but I can guarantee these will become less and less important to you as you build your new life 200 miles away and meet some fantastic new people that treat you the way you deserve. xx

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corythatwas · 24/05/2018 09:12

The wound metaphor is not a bad one. Think about the way wounds behave. They usually heal, in the sense that they are not dripping blood and you are able to get on with your life again. But they can leave scarring and sometimes that scarring can hurt from time to time. I can still feel twinges from the episiotomy scar from giving birth 21 years ago, but I am obviously healed compared to the blood-dripping mess I was on that delivery table. You need to look after wounds, find the healthiest way of treating them, but also sometimes accept that it takes time.

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VladmirsPoutine · 24/05/2018 09:14

Very well put @corythatwas.

Always remember that this too shall pass.

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Ohyesiam · 24/05/2018 09:16

Trauma takes specialist intervention to heal, with a trained therapist or counsellor. Time heals hurt and loss.

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LittleCandle · 24/05/2018 09:19

You sound like you are doing all the right things and once you are away from these abusive people, you will start to heal. There may well be a 'scar', but a scar is a sign that you have survived and come out stronger, so don't be ashamed of it. They don't deserve any head space, and once you have left, you will find it easier not to think of them. I wish you the best of luck. you are a strong person.

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