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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To be in this much emotional pain

5 replies

yanke · 03/08/2023 08:49

DH left me and we're now divorced. I loved him completely and wake every day completely heartbroken all over again. I can't seem to get on board with the idea that it's over and can't get past the idea that I did XYZ wrong and "failed" in some way where others wouldn't have.

Suffered another break-up earlier this year. It was only supposed to be casual but as the months went by it had developed into something really fun and lovely in my life that I really valued after having had such a shitty couple of years. The ease with which he was able to walk away when it was no longer convenient for him really stung and has made me feel worthless and pathetic for developing feelings that, seemingly, weren't reciprocated despite him seeming so into it at the time.

I was date-raped by another man shortly after. Nothing violent or terrible, but taken advantage of and forced into it despite repeatedly saying I didn't want to and trying to get away.

I feel broken and empty every day. Going through a particularly bleak phase where I can't stop crying. I don't see the point in a life where I feel so alone, so unloveable, so unworthy of someone who actually sees me for me and loves me for who I am.

I've been in therapy for two years. I've talked it all over to death. I do all the work and I know all the teachings.

Don't let a man define your worth
There are other types of love than romantic love
Or some of my personal favourites - learn to love yourself first before you love others/learn to be happy on your own, almost invariably trotted out by people who are already happily coupled up and have been for years, who have never actually had to be on their own at all and don't understand what it feels like to be cut off from that.

On the surface I appear to do everything "right". I have hobbies, I travel solo, I eat well, don't drink, go to therapy, spend time with family and a few close friends etc. Fake it till you make it, right?

I read recently that emotional intimacy is a fundamental human survival need, just like food and water. If you take it away your body goes into a kind of famine and fights desperately to regain it, overwhelming you with powerful urges and feelings designed to make you seek it out again and restore it so it can feel comfortable again. This is how I feel at the moment - in a state constant physical pain and deprivation.

Nothing in my life is terrible. I have lovely parents, I manage to get up every day and drag myself to work where I do a good job. I don't have any serious health concerns or financial issues. I am so, so fortunate.

But I live in the past and ruminate every day on every mistake I ever made that has led me to be alone. Every conversation I should have handled differently, every decision that might have been wrong. Every shortcoming I have that must make me deserving of being alone and so unloveable, not interesting or engaging enough to make anyone care enough to stay.

What do I do? How can I stop the pain? I want to move on so desperately. I want to be able to draw a line between myself and these feelings and cut off what had hurt me in the past but it follows me around and I can't seem to shake it.

How do I move on?

OP posts:
RedHelenB · 03/08/2023 09:05

Stop thinking you've failed because you haven't.

SarahC50 · 03/08/2023 09:11

How long ago did you split up with your husband? Ruminating is awful isn't it, you are stick in a loop cycle of horrible thoughts. I know you are maybe therapied out but CBT helped stope ruminating and catastrophising. However I had been very depressed and reading your post, despite the circumstances being different your thinking and emotions sound alot like me when I was depressed.
Have you considered that you might be depressed especially recently with all the crying. It sounds like you have been through lots of really difficult things. Those stupid self help statements are rubbish and help noone.
Anyway your post jumped out at me because of the similarities in thinking when I was depressed. You might not be but give it a consideration. Much love x

Motomum23 · 03/08/2023 09:16

Look into the law of attraction. You need to stop going the past and creating the same results. Focus on better, focus on what you want and not what you haven't got. It works.

SomeWelly · 03/08/2023 09:28

I've been there! For years actually (maybe my best years!) There was this song with the lyrics - "have you ever been so lonely/ you could feel it on your body?" Which summed up how I felt - like I was marked by it, like I was wounded. No matter how much love I got from family and friends I would carry it with me. So I know exactly what you're going through. The problem was, I was so scared to get my heart broken again that I wasn't dating much. What got me out of it in the end was deciding that I needed to tackle it like any other job. I needed to face my fear and go to date after date because I just couldn't be alone any more. I must have gone on hundreds and had many false starts, but you only need to find one person. It sounds so backwards and anti-feminist to say that you need a man or partner to complete you, but for some of us this is an unavoidable truth.

FartSock5000 · 03/08/2023 09:48

Your therapist doesn't sound very good.

You are stuck in a grief cycle mourning the man and life you thought you'd have forever. That takes time and recognition of each stage to eventually accept.

Then you have sudden rejection and all the self esteem issues that involves.

Plus the trauma of a sexual assault.

These things are too much to unpack alone. Don't give up on therapy but don't stick around with a therapist who isn't helping.

There are also specialists you can speak to about the sexual assault:
https://rapecrisis.org.uk/get-help/support-and-services/counselling/

Don't give up on love or yourself. You deserve to love and be loved back. You will find someone good but it can take time to sift through the dregs to find the nugget of gold for anyone.

Be kind to yourself as well. You've been through it and your strength is inspiring.

Counselling

Rape Crisis Centres provide free one-to-one counselling for women who have experienced rape, sexual abuse or any form of sexual violence. Find out more.

https://rapecrisis.org.uk/get-help/support-and-services/counselling

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