While alcohol can help in the short term, you should be wary of it long term. If possible, the best solution is a mid-term geographic move. Just getting out of the environment tied to your memories and the emotions will seem less hurtful.
so, so, so much time to make awesome shit. good luck getting through it all. <3
I really can't do/study anything as of this moment. I tried doing CMU Advance Database Course, printed out a lot of research articles and it feels like I am staring at the screen/paper.
Dating is hard as well. I registered on match.com the other week, but all the women look very unattractive, even a very-very attractive ones. (I was genuinely surprised by the number of single 30-40 YO women, many of them are divorced and have kids.)
Get an ok or ugly one. They aren’t in as high demand so less likely they will leave you. More importantly the benefit of a hot wife is far less than that detriment of her destroying you.
And when you think about it, it actually makes sense. Sure, attractive people have it easier in a lot of ways, and the 'bubble' is a real thing. So perhaps, maybe, there's some correlation between attraction and competence or work ethic or whatnot.
But I'd argue that being bullied, ignored, ostracized, and so on, is a much more likely source of being 'terrible', or unstable, or unpleasant than being coddled a bit more than others.
That said I would argue that the 'safest' person to date, if you're going to account for looks, is the average-looking person who feels comfortable with being average-looking. Ideally about as average as oneself.
It's very hard and I have "started over" so many times that the energy that you get from that is starting to wear off which is almost more scary. I am starting to feel that I really need some sort of lucky break from the universe or I will never move on. Which is scary because I am not very spiritual and I don't really believe that is likely to happen. But I carry on because I wouldn't know what else to do anyway.
But I came to realize that the woman I love is in my heart only, and doesn't exist in the real word. My real world ex is cold hearthed, chose to dump her own family. The woman in my heart was really nice. But realize that she doesn't exist.
So maybe if you try to see the woman in your heart as separate from the real world one (which seems to be some psychotic bitch), you can move a step further away.
I'm sure the woman in your hearth wouldn't do all the things that your ex is doing.
Try to stay away from the bottle, and build up your life with the things you do have. Everything is temporary anyway, so enjoy the nice moments you have.
Get a dog of your own - not to spite your ex though. You'll have to invest a lot of effort in a dog but you'll be rewarded with loyalty and improved sensitivity and intuition. Not a dog person? Neither was I until stumbled across a starving mangy animal that turned out to be the best friend I've ever had. Shelters are full of dogs that have been betrayed and abandoned. Working breeds (on the larger side) are more even-tempered, intelligent, and loyal which is exactly what's missing in your life right now. I'd suggest an adult rather than a puppy if you haven't had one before, as you'll make a lot of mistakes in the first year.
Entire ordeal sounds like some evil plot to destroy me. My older friends, who went through divorces, were shocked and said this by far nastiest break-up they heard about.
That said, I highly recommend you speak to a therapist. There are things you are doing to attract these personalities and it's important to recognize it so you don't find yourself in the same situation in the future.
Also, read this book immediately: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1442238321
Sounds like she's sadistically tormenting you... awful. do all you can to put distance between you and her.
and do anything at all that helps you feel OK, even if it's just whistling a tune. Just so you don't feel get snared in guilt, or rumination, as if there were an external expectation that you should feel like "it's my responsibility to remember that I have all these reasons that justify my misery".
Don't feel bad about not knowing that your fantasy would become a nightmare. There was no way you would have known.
But make sure to still have fantasies, though of course now for a very different future. Your future was not cursed just because she destroyed your relationship (and fantasies of its future).
Sure, our fantasies may merely be imaginary. But people crucially depend upon their fantasies nonetheless. They are the only way many of us attain a feeling that we have a real connection with the real world, and things feel better when you release old ones that are no longer viable, and find new ones, too.
as for finding new fantasies for meaning, media (like movies, books, TV shows, music, etc.) aren't all that bad for letting you 'uncover' the covers on top of your own desires, when the story resonates with you strongly.
Have you seen a therapist? Or have you been talking to anyone in your life about what you've been through?
And I know the lingering stomach-churning attachment you describe. All too well : (
My hope is that when that (chemical?) fixation subsides you'll have a huge example of why she isn't a good partner that your rational, non-animal mind to latch onto.
It gets better though. To the point where eventually you'll look back and wonder how the hell you gave this person even a moment of your life. But time alone won't fix it.
It's hard at first, but try to go easy on the alcohol, even when the pain seems unbearable. "You got to feel it to heal it." Don't know where this came from originally, and it sounds hokey, but it's so true.
Find a good therapist, ideally one familiar with the devastation that Cluster B personality disorders cause, but NOT someone that treats them. This is super important. There are a surprising number of PD apologists and therapists who suffer from a PD themselves out there. Find someone that recognizes the abuse you suffered and is supportive and encouraging.
And finally, cut this emotional vampire out of your life completely. 100% no contact. Every letter, email, voice mail, text, etc. straight to the trash. You will never, ever, ever get closure from her. The fantasy you have of that moment when she realizes that she was wrong and that you truly loved her, that she threw away the best relationship she'll ever have, where she tells you what she was thinking when she did all of these things, and she finally hears what you've been saying in a million different ways as things started to unravel...it's truly a fantasy, just like the relationship, and just like she was. She is a young child in the body of an adult. She has nothing to offer that can help you to heal. That's got to come from inside you.
And while you're working through all the emotional shit from your ex, take some time to consider other people in your life. People who wind up in abusive relationships usually have an issue with boundaries and this attracts others just as fucked up as the first PD individual that caused all this turmoil in the first place. Think about how others make you feel and trust your gut. If you feel on edge around someone all the time, listen to this feeling.
Good luck, man. You can totally do this. Sending positive thoughts your way :)
On the plus side, it does get better.
So you could pair with someone who will drive you around for a while. It could be a friend or someone you hire. Esp. important if you're a freelancer...
Helps productivity, or helps not feeling bad?
The amount of alcohol required increases with time, so productivity continues downward at an ever growing pace.
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What she did to you was abuse. The sooner you understand that, the sooner you can start healing. I don't give a damn about what happened in her life that caused it, because the important thing is that you understand that you were abused.
I think you already do, although maybe not in as many words.
She deliberately destroyed your relationship in the most vindictive and painful way she could. Everything you've mentioned here appears designed to cause you as much pain as possible - and the fact that you're feeling this strongly (or poorly) means she's won this round. I wouldn't have fared any better in your place.
The game isn't over yet, and this round is going to take a lot longer than the first. You've got some win conditions you need to satisfy if you want to come out of this in good shape:
Get help from a suitable abuse counselor. This is the most important thing you can do, because it leads into the rest of your life. Do me a favor, and if you don't find one tonight, find one tomorrow. Don't even think about it, just do it.
Don't allow alcohol (or other drugs) to be your vent. This might sound silly, but take up a hobby well outside your comfort zone. Perhaps painting, singing, ballroom dance, fencing, or sculpting. The more friendly people you can be around, the better off you'll be. Please stay away from alcohol, it's not a crutch and won't help. Go and chat with AA, if you find that you can't. The people at those meetings will be able to support you through that.
Start to give a damn about yourself. Not everyone is out to betray you and hurt you, but this is something you'll have to relearn. Nobody who understands will hold it against you. I wouldn't.
You've been somewhat lucky, believe it or not, in that this happened before you ended up married and with a baby. Don't doubt that I'm horrified by her vindictive actions, or how selfish she was. I've seen first hand what happens when someone lived a similar hell, but got married anyway. I watched my father grow old as he was unable get on with his life after a similar sort of betrayal.
But this is about you. What happened to you was unfair, and a terrible trauma, no doubt about that. Right now please do yourself, your family and friends, your colleagues, and your future wife a favor: get counseling.