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Relationships

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

Stuck in a rut, hating ex husband who caused me so much pain

10 replies

campingfire · 29/08/2022 20:09

Wise words needed please.

I had the most horrible, soul destroying divorce a few years ago which has been though the courts several more times.
I'm struggling to let go of the hate I feel towards the ex for the multitude of things he has put myself and our kids through.
How have others stopped hating after trauma? I've been to counselling and the feeling just never leaves me.

OP posts:
Isittrueornot · 29/08/2022 20:14

Maybe it’s a part of your life and you have to learn to accept it.

Everyone has happy and bad memories in their life, everyone. Not al the bad things can be gotten over, some are just too bad for that, instead you accept it and learn to live with it. It’s shit, and in the future looking back it will still be shit. Everyone has shit times.

MadMadMadamMim · 29/08/2022 20:19

Focus on the future. Be absolutely grateful that he is an EX. A friend of mine ruined her own life with bitterness after her DH left her. 30 years down the line she has refused to be happy and still hates him with a vengeance.

He on the other hand could not give a shit (presumably) and never spares her a thought. Her behaviour was a shining example to me on what NOT to do and what NOT to dwell on when I got divorced.

A life well lived is the best revenge. Dismiss all thoughts of him. He wrecked your past, but he does not need to wreck your future.

campingfire · 29/08/2022 20:40

@MadMadMadamMim that's very good advice. I don't want to be one of these people who are bitter forever. Just wondered what helped others get out of the rut.

OP posts:
bitachey · 29/08/2022 20:49

This is interesting. www.psychologytoday.com/gb/basics/forgiveness

good
luck OP xx

1976julie · 03/09/2022 07:45

New to this. So I need some advice on my ex husband. We divorced a couple of years ago after he had an affair and abandoned his family, moving the affair partner into his house immediately. This prevented our sons from being able to visit, and cope with their feelings. Now this woman has gone and he has met another woman - while the first woman was still in his house - during lockdown and moved her into his house, still not seeing much of his children. If they get a text and a 1/2 chat in the week .. that’s a good week. He was always very selfish and took care of himself first. Just wondering if anyone else has experience of partners like that and how you cope with the abandonment and trauma that has been placed on your kids. They don’t really want to see him. They are getting older and see me as their constant. They have never stayed with him as he didn’t create the space for just him and them. He has pressured them to meet both women from the very early days. He doesn’t do parent other than to give money. Didnt do the school runs, get involved with homework, university selections, guidance of any kind. He had a good career, lots of money, comes in and talks about himself then leaves. Struggling to see how, on any level, this is normal behaviour. A friend told me about limerence a few years ago and I did a little research. He had a wonderful family but constantly seems to think about himself. Has anyone else experienced something similar.

Thisisworsethananticpated · 03/09/2022 07:59

Time
only time helps
and also moving forward with your life and plans

and keeping busy , learning etc

its a never ending journey

Justmeandme19 · 03/09/2022 08:07

Yes. I'm in a similar situation. Regardless of what he's done to you or your kids, pitty him rather than anger him. No normal healthy minded person treats another so poorly.
Feel free to pm me, we can talk more. I have to try and keep what I write a little vague on here.

Autumnchills415 · 03/09/2022 08:15

Rule number one. There is no time limit on healing. Don't let people say to you. Oh it's been six months now. Forget him.

I had a full on abusive relationship without the violence. He was mean in everyday. Lying. Texting his ex. Putting me down. Name calling. Gaslighting. Borrowing my money. Future faking. Silent treatments. Cheating in the messaging stage he was meeting up with a woman on a dating app whilst saying he loved me. He was blowing hot and cold constantly. Always had woman drama and always changing stories. He had 3 different versions of how his last relationship ended. He would say in the middle of arguments, I never argued with my exes like I do you. Considering I'm not a shouting person and very peaceful it blew my mind. Plus he cheated on his ex and they had a relationship full of mistrust.

I went to therapy and they explaining ruminating. She said imagine inside your brain all these little boxes are popping up to the surface now and they are full of everything you ignored. She said it's healthy and normal to ruminate. It's part of healing as long as it doesn't go on forever..

What I've learned is its like a pile of socks. Some socks you can pair up and put away (make sense of that situation) but there's all these odd socks left that can't be sorted. These are just useless now. You won't ever find the other half to make a whole thing that is useful. These are the things you are stuck on. You keep searching for the missing sock and eventually you throw them away as there's nothing more you can do..

Anger is inverted sadness. You are sad. I opened up an email account purely for this. I write my thoughts and feelings down whenever I want. I began in the relationship and it became a way for me to look back and see how terrible he was. It helps. It really does and you can say exactly what is bothering you still.

Is it that you feel he got to move on and get away with it?
Do you feel hes happy now and your stuck?
Is it because you question what you ever must have meant?
Do you feel your whole relationship was a lie?
Write down questions to yourself and answer them truthfully. Again do this in your email draft.
Ask yourself

Do I love him still?
What was good about us?
What was bad about us?
Whats making me angry?
What don't I miss?
Do I still miss certain things?

You can't heal in the environment that made you sick. Are you looking at his social media or anything? Are you distancing yourself as much as possible.

Depending on the type of relationship it was I highly recommend listening to YouTube life coaches and Dr's. If you feel he was narcisstic I highly recommend. Jess Stanley. Narc con.narc survivor etc. If he wasn't there's plenty of love coaches that can help you understand your thoughts process.

You won't feel better until you've found your way of healing. But it has no time frame so don't feel there's anything wrong with you.

Isaidnoalready · 03/09/2022 08:31

My ex husband is abusive badly abusive got away with it with me and I have to allow him to see our children for the past 18 months he has been with a new woman he has transformed himself working paying child support actually showing up to see the kids I feel like I'm a bitter Betty because I cannot and will not let go of the past its been almost two years since his last arrest part of me thinks its a long time the rest of me knows its not really he is still making personal digs at me so I rarely speak to him I had to the other day and he seemed so chatty so nice so normal but even then the digs were in I feel sorry for you struggling on your own, im so happy now! great woman car job great life! you don't work now do you? (I'm a carer for our youngest) he physically prevented me from working last time constantly calling me ditching the kids so I had to leave to get them when I refused he bought them to work to dump them on me they finished my contract early and didn't offer me anymore work my resentment is huge

It's been 8 years since the split im not over the anger I'm just not and I dont think I ever really will be until he fucks off forever but he gets a kick out of tormenting me so I dont think he ever will

namechange5575 · 03/09/2022 08:51

Lovely post @Autumnchills415

If it helps, you can armchair diagnose him as a narcissist or psychopath. It doesn't mean it's necessarily true, but can give you an explanation for why he behaved in such problematic ways - it's not you or anything you did, it's just the way he's made.

This does then shift to another problem - why did I get together / stay together with a narcissist / psychopath? This can be painful to think about, but because it is under the realm or you and your behaviour and thinking, you have much more agency in this, rather than directing your attention back to him.

You can spend time considering what you overlooked or welcomed, that you wouldn't overlook or welcome next time. So it becomes about working on yourself, to protect yourself and ensure you value yourself, and are valued and treated well going forward. Good luck with it all x x

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