This year has been dominated by my ex taking me to court to try to get contact with our kids. I was in an abusive relationship with him for nearly a decade during which he lied about literally everything and stole thousands from me and my family, among other things. We broke up in 2014 and until May 2016 he continued to come to the house to help with the kids a couple of days a week. I had been having concerns about his behaviour towards them and finally cut him out of our lives completely when I discovered he was using my name and address to commit benefit fraud.
I learned in February that he is taking me to court to get contact with the children. Everything has gone as badly for him as possible in court. He has lied to the court (in really obvious ways, so the magistrate clearly knows he's lying) and not done anything they asked. CAFCASS were involved (the organisation that gets involved in cases where there is abuse and makes a recommendation to the court about how much contact the kids'should have with the absent parent) and have recommended that he has no direct contact with the children - this sort of recommendation is almost unheard of, and my solicitor said it's the first one she's ever seen.
The final hearing is almost certainly going to be an open and shut case, with the court ruling with CAFCASS for no direct contact between the children and their father.
So ... why am I stressed to the point of feeling physically ill? I even started researching CFS/ME, wondering if I have that. I have horrible dreams. I have developed a terror of men (I'm waiting to be assessed for PTSD). I keep grinding my teeth so much that my face aches. I feel constantly exhausted but also can't sleep well (unusual for me!). Yesterday I phoned my dad to ask him if he would drive up (180 miles) and come to the hearing with me, but he has a bit of work on so he can't. Family is trying to be supportive but seem to think that because it's so unlikely that ex will get contact, this is no big deal. Which I guess it shouldn't be - I don't understand myself why I'm so stressed!