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Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

Need Help Moving On / Abuse

6 replies

Rosemary26 · 10/12/2020 15:40

Hello everyone. I’m trying to come to terms with what’s abusive in my marriage. The community here is very helpful. I’m supposed to have funds coming to me in the next month or so, and then I plan on rebuilding my life and returning to my home country.

So, I have type 1 diabetes, and the last time I had a severe low blood sugar episode and was quite out of it my husband called me a “loser” and said that I would never amount to anything in my life. ...Because I was struggling to bring my blood sugar back up? It cut me deep. I think that must be one of the worst things you could say to anyone. But he often does this when, for whatever reason, he is unhappy with me. He’s told me that no one else would want me. Called me almost every name in the book. I feel shattered. Never have I called him names or tried to chip away at his confidence, even when I’ve been absolutely furious. Would you accept this in your relationship?

He never apologizes for these things. He acts like it never happened. He broke my makeup a month ago... And he excused himself saying that he had a right to because he was upset. Then he accused me of having broken his things before, but I honestly never have. Anything I try to confront him about, he turns it all around and says that I’m the one doing those things or that I make him do it.

When he isn’t arguing with me he can appear to be sweet, but I feel as if I’m walking on eggshells all the time because if I try to open up to him about my feelings it gets ugly. I grew up in an abusive environment, I have no family to guide me, and I feel like my boundaries have been severely lacking. I feel so lost. I think I’ve bothered with him for so long because I liked that we have history and I didn’t want to lose another person.

I appreciate your opinions and advice.

OP posts:
AttilaTheMeerkat · 10/12/2020 16:18

What you are describing here is the nice/nasty cycle of abuse from him and that is a continuous one. He is also a continuation of all the abuse you saw and heard from childhood. You will need counselling to unpick the abuse and your own recovery from his abuse now will only properly start when you are separated from him. Its not your fault he is abusive towards you and from your other thread his mother is exactly like him, an abuser too.

Re your comment:-
"I think I’ve bothered with him for so long because I liked that we have history and I didn’t want to lose another person".

Do not let the sunken costs fallacy further cloud you here; that basically causes people to keep on making poor relationship decisions.

There are two ways to understand this process, both involving avoidance. One is an avoidance of disappointment or loss when something doesn’t work out. When a relationship doesn’t succeed, especially after a long period, especially after many shared experiences and especially after developing a hope that the relationship would be a good one, it is a loss. It is a loss of what might have been and an acknowledgement that a part of one’s life has been devoted to this endeavour.

Another angle to evaluate is that focus on “sunk cost” creates a distraction from one’s inner truth. The sentence often goes like, “I’ve already invested to much, so I can’t notice my thoughts and feelings that are telling me to end or change this relationship.” This is a type of insidious defense against noticing yourself. You enter into a neglectful relationship with yourself which divorces you from your inner thoughts and the quiet feelings that might guide you in your life. In other words, thinking about what already has been may prevent you from deciding what you want your life to be.

The abuse of you by him is all on him, he targeted you and deliberately so.

Where are you at present, are you in the UK?.

pallasathena · 10/12/2020 16:29

It's a positive step in the right direction OP, recognising that there is real, actual abuse in your relationship and from what you say, it very much looks like you've landed yourself a prize twat.
Blaming you is classic.
The sound and fury? Classic.
It appears that he calls the shots in the relationship and you're the one complying, bending over backwards not to upset him.
Classic abuse tactics.
Sign up to the Freedom Programme. Get hold of some books on abusive relationships like 'Why Does He Do That?'; also 'Nasty People', both are good books to start you off on a journey of self discovery and real understanding of how toxic relationships develop.
And get out. As soon as you possibly can.
Men like him don't change. You can't change them. You can only change the way you react and respond to them and for that to be successful, for that to be life changing you need to educate yourself about abuse.
There's another book that's just been published called 'Why Women Are Blamed For Everything'. It's on Amazon and I highly recommend it because it is the sum of years of research into toxic masculinity and how to deal with the trauma it leaves behind.
Stay strong OP. You've got this.
Flowers

Rosemary26 · 10/12/2020 18:46

@AttilaTheMeerkat
Thank you so very much for your thoughtful comment. I needed to hear all of that. It’s become too easy to get into the habit of doubting myself and my instincts. When I reach out and actually try to explain what’s been happening it hits me how obvious it is that this is a wrong relationship. I’m in the UK, yes. I’m from America.

OP posts:
Rosemary26 · 10/12/2020 18:58

@pallasathena
Thank you for your encouraging words! I will look into getting all those books. I found a free pdf version of Why Does He Do That?.

I remember one time, after an argument, he said without my asking him, “I can’t change.” He just refuses to.

OP posts:
pallasathena · 10/12/2020 22:17

Flowers Star

havecourage8bekind · 10/12/2020 22:23

You can do this. You might soon come to realise theres more in your relationship that's abusive that you didn't even realise not to be normal. I left my emotionally abusive husband three weeks ago and it was hard, but my god the best decision I have ever made. I'm here if you need an ear to rant to. Walking on egg shells is so draining Xxx

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