Boards No Contact Rule NC support

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  • #25920
    Belle
    Participant
    • Total Posts: 397

    I don’t know what I’m going to do if he doesn’t come on Monday 🙁
    It’s only Friday and I’m going to dwell all weekend.
    I should be grateful and happy yeah? Just him calling round is a step in the right direction?
    Maybe I’ve read into it too much. Jeeze I need a job! Sitting around all day thinking about all this shit is should destroying!

    My new bed is arriving today…I will want to show him on Monday but that’s a crazy thing to do.
    He will prob only stand on door step and that’s even if he shows up.

    I bet he doesn’t come.

    #25924
    atea1234
    Participant
    • Total Posts: 944

    @belle, something that my mom always tells me is to not expect anything or to expect the worst so that you are not disappointed. i have a very hard time with this as i am probably the most optimistic person in the world. i tend to always find some good in everything! sometimes this is a good thing, but in this breakup – not so much! i STILL look for the good in my ex and i still always expect him to somehow come through and want me back. i expect the best out of him and it leads to constant disappointment. i think we all need to expect that our exes will never be back and if they do, it will be a nice pleasant surprise. one of my older friends gave me some very wise advice a few weeks ago. she was on and off with a guy for 8 years and she wanted a more serious relationship and he got scared and broke up with her. they were strict nc for 4 months – she was absolutely miserable! but she said she just woke up one day and said she was tired of feeling that way and she decided to get on with her life – she knew she loved him but she couldn’t change his mind, so she really let it go. she said she always knew deep down he was her soulmate but she had to let it go. it wasn’t until she truly let it go that he came back – after a total of 7 months! they got back together and married but she said she had reached a point that she knew if he didn’t come back, she would be fine. we all need to somehow get to the point that our exes aren’t in the forefront of our minds. i think the longer we stick to nc – even though it seems impossible at times – the better for all of us. we need our exes to want to come back on their own and we can’t control whether they will or not but we can control our own healing. we need to heal and move on and I’m starting to really see firsthand how important it is for nc to do that. i felt so setback from two silly text messages yesterday!! we need a fake it till you make it approach. i really believe whatever is meant to be, will be. so if our exes are meant to be with us they will come back when they’re ready. for now we must worry about ourselves. I’m going to post in here whenever i feel like texting my ex!!! i actually finally feel ready to be in nc indefinitely. and if he reaches out I’m going to be cold and not so friendly anymore. this will throw him for a loop. were all in this together and we need to be strong 🙂

    #25934
    Belle
    Participant
    • Total Posts: 397

    I know what your saying and I’m a person who does think a bit negative because I don’t like being disappointed and I guess that’s why I’ve gone into negative mode. If I think he isn’t coming Monday and come upswing some feeble excuse then what did I expect? Him actually turning up?

    I’m frustrated because I see he has so many issues and he’s so angry and full of resentment that I want to shake him. Ima step ahead of him and recognised the issues we both have. I’m dealing with mine but he’s carrying on in life with his issues thinking he’s absolutely normal and I’ve been nasty to him and therefore he’s dumped me. He doesn’t see that we both have issues and nothing will change unless things get sorted out for good.
    He just thinks it’s the way we two are and therefore it’s a no go zone for us and we keep hitting the same wall.
    I’ve tried to explain everything to him but he’s too angry to process everything. He’s dumped me which for him is the easier option.
    I’ve told him unless he sorts himself out the he will keep making the same mistakes as will I, therefore if we discuss what’s been happening then we can then make a intelligent decision whether to carry on together or go separate ways.
    Then there is his work problem so I guess The problems and myself are low down on his list but I want it all on the road to recovery like yesterday!

    I’m hugely frustrated, my therapist said give it time but I’m like champing at the bit and just want life back to how it was but the new improved us!
    He very may well just have had enough of it all and he may never acknowledge the issues therefore there will never be an us again!

    As you said I have to let it go… But I can’t!

    #25936
    atea1234
    Participant
    • Total Posts: 944

    @belle, i can totally relate! everyone keeps telling me to let it go but for some reason i just absolutely cannot! maybe its because they really are the ones for us or maybe because were just being stubborn and afraid of the future without them. i hate when everyone keeps saying to give it time, especially because there is no set time! if someone could tell me in 6 months either i will have my ex back or i will be moved on from him, i would be able to take a step back and relax! the thing is we have no idea what will happen when. its something my ex seems so in peace with – he always tells me time is the only thing that will tell us the right thing. and whenever i ask how much time he says its impossible to put a number on it and its based on feelings and not numbers. i have a very hard to conceptualizing this. but i do believe for your ex he is very angry and needs some time to sort some problems out. i think your plan to give him space but check in every few weeks is a good one. in the meantime we all need to start healing ourselves! this way whether or not they come back, we will be ok. right now i feel i can’t imagine my ex being absent from my life forever, but the truth is for the foreseeable future he definitely will be so i need to get used to the new norm. sometimes it still doesnt feel real to me. i mean our relationship was so special. i can just hope as he’s taking this time away to date he can appreciate and recognize what we had. but i have no control over it! I’m definitely a bit of a control freak, so its been difficult for me to accept that i have no control in this situation. none of us really have control right now – our exes will need to make the decision! my therapist says we can only control our actions. i think for my own dignity and self respect, i must CHOOSE nc indefinitely because he doesnt want to be with me right now – i must heal regardless if he comes back in the future from the time being. you have the right to choose which actions you take! you need to do what feels right.

    i called my therapist this morning to dicuss latest developments. she has told me every morning when i wake up to tell myself that everything happens for a reason and whatever is meant to be will be. we don’t need to force anything. we can just work on our own happiness 🙂

    #25940
    Aphrodite
    Participant
    • Total Posts: 323

    I feel for all of us!!!
    Today is being so difficult. I have loads of paper work to do and I can’t concentrate or get my mind off him. I’m really wanting to email him now, but that shouldn’t be my priority. Something’s gotta give. I’m emotionally exhausted.
    I’m also concerned because I know there will be a tiny bit of hope with the email, that it will somehow magically make him change his mind if I send it. So I’m worried that if I do send it, his response and verification that it’s over for good, will just crush me more. I don’t know, feel like I’m going a bit loopy today, can’t think straight.

    #25941
    Belle
    Participant
    • Total Posts: 397

    I appreciate where you’re coming from Aphrodite, I feel like getting in touch again but I don’t want to risk Monday! The smallest thing can give us hope and soon enough we can be back to the crying, sobbing mess again.

    #25721
    keepsmegoing
    Participant
    • Total Posts: 1

    This is going to sound creepy, but for the past two months, I have been lurking on these boards (my break-up was in late November) and I have mainly been following this thread and the stories of you three. I never felt compelled to make an account or share my own story because just reading other people’s posts made me realize that I wasn’t going through this alone. But I sort of feel compelled to make a post right now because I see that Belle and Atea are kind of faltering and you both seem to really need support and a different opinion. I guess I will share my own story and then try to relate it to what I think you both should do.

    My relationship was for three years, which isn’t a lot of time when compared to the relationships that you three had. But a break-up is a break-up and all stories on break-ups and recovery share a common thread. Nobody goes into a relationship thinking that they will break-up, so obviously the pain and emotional roller coaster that comes with a break-up is real and it hurts. It especially hurt for me because we had both thought this relationship was “the one” and we were both extremely compatible and we had met each other’s immediate and extended families, who all thought we would get married. I sent my ex one e-mail explaining how I was committed to working on the relationship together. He told me he didn’t want this and included some messages of hope and told me how this was going to be one of his biggest regret. I haven’t talked to him since. I stopped keeping track of days, but it has been no contact for 53 days (just looked it up). I deleted him off of all social media and I even deleted some of our mutual friends (except they were really his friends and I never talked to them unless it was a group setting with my ex) off of Facebook. Honestly, it has been a really tough break-up. Initially, I had been so concerned with how to make him come back, which is why I landed on this forum. But since staying in NC for some time, I realized that this forum can be pretty toxic. I think expressing your feelings is great (I have been keeping a journal on my laptop whenever I felt the need to express myself) and there are psychology studies on how it speeds up healing. But many of you are still longing for your ex to come back and all of you encourage each other to hold onto that false hope. I think that’s pretty toxic and only prolongs your recovery.

    What I have to say to you three is that you shouldn’t be in contact with your exes. It is really hard but staying in contact only prolongs your healing. What really helped me through all of this was just repeating to myself that I did not want to be with someone who did not want to be with me. Think about it. Do you really want to lure your ex back, only to have him dump you again? Do you want to give someone an ultimatum and then know that he only came back because you have him no other choice? That’s a recipe for disaster. There’s a blog that talks about Better Man or Better Dan theory and I have copy and pasted it here:

    “The Better Man part is simple: there are many exceptional men out there and eventually, when you’re willing to let one of them in, one of these men will fall so in love with you that your head will rotate in a delirious, dizzying fashion.

    The Better Dan part is less simple. When your ex-boyfriend chose to break up with you, there was a part of him that needed to be free for whatever reason. You must grant him this freedom. It must be unfettered and it must be pure: do not intrude on it. No good comes from trying to lure a person who has made a conscious decision to live their life without you in it back into your life. It’s soul destroying and it’s absolutely futile. Instead, focus on yourself – for while it may very much feel like it, a breakup is not about the person who broke up with you, it’s about you, and how effectively you turn a nasty emotional knock into something powerful and positive.

    But back to Better Dan. Better Dan is the guy who has had time to grow and get clarity as a single man, and who then realises he wants to share that new man with you. As Richard Bach so wisely said, “If you love someone, set them free. If they come back they’re yours; if they don’t they never were.” Better Dan is the man who you loved enough to set free, and he came back.

    That said, I must point out it’s not helpful to wander through the murky swamp of a breakup hoping your ex will be knocking on your door in his Better Dan get-up in a few months time. He might be gone for good. Be at peace with this; it simply means you’re in store for a Better Man instead.”

    This blog really helped me. It made me realize that I need to do no contact. At first, I was doing it because I thought doing no contact would make him realize that he made the biggest mistake of his life and would have him come running back to me. But then, I started doing no contact because I realized that I have no control over his decisions and just removing any form of contact helped me with my recovery. If, in the future, he finds this new clarity and decides he wants me back, then we will evaluate it. But I cannot go through this break-up waiting and hoping that he will come back to me. Additionally, staying in NC has helped me realize so many flaws in our relationship and what I want differently in a future relationship — whether it is with him or someone else.

    So to all three of you, I think you really need to stop contacting your ex. It’s great that they respond, but until they defiantly say that they want to get back with you — there is no point in analyzing their text messages or e-mails. I hope you all don’t think I’m coming off as brutal or mean, but I think all three of you have some great qualities and as someone who has gone through the huge emotional roller coaster and is at a more stable place right now, I think you all should hear this. Please read the breakup recovery guide — it was a huge turning point for me when I read this.

    http://www.breakuprecoveryguide.com/

    #25906
    honeydew
    Participant
    • Total Posts: 1

    Hi everyone,
    I have been somewhat of a reader and lurker on this support thread for the last 10 days or so. I really feel for every single one of you and the pain everyone is suffering. I myself am going through the break up of a 5 year relationship , I don’t want to go to much into it as I feel right now Im in slightly better place.

    I just wanted to share something that i rediscovered today. I remember listening to this song “good thoughts , bad thoughts” by Funkadelic which was written way before I was born the last about 10 years ago whilst going through a very traumatic relationship breakdown.

    Finding this track again and listening it with as open mind and heart as possible has really helped me today. Its just a song but the words are just so wise and I think will speak to you and be useful in the way of helping you to heal somewhat for so many of you going through similar hard times. Its almost like a meditation mantra.

    I urge you to take google it take listen, “good thoughts, bad thought” by Funkadelic (the narration does not start till around 2 mins in)

    I hope this is helpful in someway. x

    #25948
    atea1234
    Participant
    • Total Posts: 944

    @keepsmegoing and @honeydew, thank you for your words.

    i am beginning to see firsthand how painful it can be to be in contact. my relationship ended end of september and I’ve been in a big two steps forward, three backwards pattern since then. it seems ill make it through a month of no contact and then reach out and somehow end up right back where i started from. my ex kept telling me from the beginning how complicated things were because he could see himself with me some day in the future, but he needs time to date around now. its made it almost impossible for me to move on. plus because I’ve had virtually no other experiences i think I’m a little terrified. i am trying nc again right now as i think its the only option for my healing. you’re right in that we aren’t sure if they will be back or not so we need to take care of ourselves first. but call me a hopefully romantic, i do believe some relationships are worth fighting for and if its truly meant to be it will work out so in the meantime we need to try to make ourselves happy. I’m only human! i may slip up and text him or vent too much on this forum, but the truth is in the end it will all work out . if he doesnt come back, i WILL move on. its human nature and time heals all. and if he really is the one then he will be back and it will be before I’ve moved on. i appreciate your advice but i do appreciate having a place to vent to as I’ve been doing my best to put on a happy face for my friends and family.


    @aphrodite
    and @belle, stay strong on the NC. i know how tempting it is. it seems like such a scary, long road ahead of me but we are all in this together

    #25969
    Belle
    Participant
    • Total Posts: 397

    Keepsmegoing

    I’ve been through breakups before, one which took me many years to recover from and that guy is now wanting to get me back but my heart is longer with him sadly. I was not any forums at the time and I believe if i had of been I would have understood a lot more.
    My ex has left me because he has trust issues and I’ve behaved appallingly because I’ve abandonment issues. We’ve spoken in length and we both understand each other. If I had not been on this site then I wouldn’t have understood anything at all about myself.

    Yes it can be toxic if you allow it too but I would like to think Aphrodite, atea and myself are pretty educated ladies that just so happen to be going through the same experience at the same time. We are not venting to friends or family but rather keep a kind of journal on here to vent and realise that we are not the only ones going through this.

    Of course all 3 of us are not going to be here in a years time, all of us will eventually move on.

    My ex and I have been through hell and back over the 8 years, he dad to my son who loved him dearly and we have a strong bond. My ex is hurt and angry and has work issues and life is a bit of a mess right now for him. I will tell him as much as I can that I love him and I will do what it takes to bring us back together. My situation is slightly different. I need to give him time and space but I also need to show him that I will no matter what be here for when he can come back and commit. He needs that. If I turn my back and NC then he will think that indeed I didn’t love him.

    Every case is different and I’m in my 40’s so really, I’d rather be left alone and find my own way through this soul searching time. My ex and I were just not boyfriend and girlfriend.

    It was his choice to suggest he come over on Monday to pick up the Xmas gift from my son. That’s the first time he’s done that since Nov. If for some reason he backs out then that’s his choice and he has to live with it but I will support him because he loved me so much up to only recently.
    I’m not walking away, not until I put up a big fight.

    Aphrodite and atea are behind me all the way as I’m behind them for what they want.

    #25974
    atea1234
    Participant
    • Total Posts: 944

    well i went on a date about 6 weeks ago. i actually had a really nice time and we texted following the next two weeks or so but we were both out of town and never set up a time to meet. i decided to take a risk and text him earlier today. he was happy to hear from me and asked me to get drinks next week! I’m not expecting much to come out of it but if anything maybe it will get me out of my apartment and distracted for a bit 🙂

    #25981
    Aphrodite
    Participant
    • Total Posts: 323

    I love the fact that there are always lots of posts waiting to be read when I check in!


    @keepsmegoing

    I feel a bit weirded out and exposed knowing that other people have been/are following the thread without my knowledge but that’s how it is. In a way though, I appreciate the interest in our lives! Lol.

    I don’t agree that Belle and atea are faltering. We have been encouraging each other to stick with NC, but been understanding when it’s been breached and seen the positives in that too!

    For atea, it’s good to know that her ex wants more time, as much as it hurt she needed to know that in order to lay it to rest more. She is now going NC indefinitely and more motivated as she has now learned that staying in touch only prolongs healing in her case. Her hopes of a quick reconciliation were crushed with his reply, but it’s better that she knows now rather than if she had waited and wondered why he doesnt reach out to reconcile yet in the future. She is now able to better adjust her mind set to the reality of the situation. *gives atea a hug*

    As for Belle, if she hadn’t reached out, she wouldn’t be seeing her ex this Monday! (Yes, if he turns up, Belle, I know lol). I definitely believe there is reconciliation in the air for her, and this would not have happened if not for the breach of NC. I don’t feel that I’m in the wrong for saying that, it is my genuine take on her situation as her ex never showed indifference but rather strong emotions.

    I’m still uncertain of whether or not I will email my ex. I recognise that there will be (probably false) hope with sending it, and that his response could crush me further. However, I may risk that because I want to get some closure in feeling that I have said everything I wanted to say to him.
    I’m going to reassess the situation after day 30, and once I have typed up an email that I feel has absolutely everything I wanted to say in it (then send it off to Guinness world records for longest email ever written).

    I’m very sorry to hear about your situation, that you too know what it’s like to loose “the one”, – but I am thrilled for you that NC has been working and that you are more level now!

    I don’t think this forum is toxic, but that depends on the subjective experience of it. For me, as I have described many times now, hope of reconciliation can be either motivating (a reason to get up in the morning at all – or to improve and excel), or it can be destructive (if you don’t need it as a motivation anymore but it’s still there, keeping you from moving on with your life). I believe that everyone recognises within themselves whether listening to false hope (or gut feeling – who knows right?) or not is in their best interest. Like Belle said, we are all educated females here. There is a time for everything. A time where false hope is needed, and a time where you feel ready to let it go. For some that may take longer than others. I don’t think anyone here are that easily influenced as to not listen to what’s best for themselves, but this is a good place to gain new perspectives and information to chew on before making decisions and to feel a sense of not being alone in this.

    I personally feel a lot stronger from being on this forum, and I know that I would have reached out seeming pathetic so many times had it not been for these girls. It makes me feel less lonely and as if we are part of a team in persevering through this!

    I was wondering if this thread is provoking you because of what you are going through yourself, and if you are projecting what you feel about your situation onto us?
    After all, this website is to do with how to get your ex back, and you’re telling us to never contact them again unless they reach our specifically to reconcile! It goes against what this very website is about.

    What works for one person may not work for another, there are always individual differences and timing has to be right for letting go of hope if it’s needed. I was thinking, maybe you are having a hard time trying to stay NC and not having false hope, so someone giving someone else hope on this thread may frustrate you – as it is a reminder of the hope you may have inside that you’re wanting to lay to rest? I could OF COURSE be completely wrong here, I just find it strange that you are so motivated to tell us this is toxic when this is so healing for those involved. I couldn’t feel more blessed to have these ladies to vent to! And with time there will be less of a need.

    Often I’m not sure if I want my ex back, but I do want there to be a chance even if it’s one in a million. It’s that feeling that I have no choice in the matter and that there is nothing I can do that is the most destroying part for me – however liberating that may be for someone else. The thought of not ever being with him again has literally made me think that if I had cancer, I wouldn’t feel motivated to put up a fight. When I feel like that, I try my hardest not to think about the future, or I daydream about reconciliation because it helps me through the darkness. Hope can be very resourceful!!! It depends on the person, the situation, the time.
    It’s good that you are able to handle the break up without clinging to false hope, and I’m happy for you! But please do not judge and call this toxic, just because it is something toxic for you! I really don’t think that Belle, for instance, should go NC now and not contact he ex again. Not to mention, her son is involved!

    Otherwise I completely agree with you on that NC is about ourselves and how effectively we can turn our emotional knock into something more powerful and positive. That being said, emotions do have to come out and that is part of being effective, in my opinion.

    Thank you for the website suggestion, I’ve had a quick look at it and I will explore it further later on:)
    I appreciate any feedback and opinions here, but calling atea and Belle faltering and calling all encouragement and hope ‘toxic’ is a little harsh and over the line, despite it being done with our best interests at heart!

    #25982
    Aphrodite
    Participant
    • Total Posts: 323

    @honeydew

    Hello! Thank you, we are all in this together!

    I really appreciate you sharing that song. I had a listen, and it is quite funkadelic haha! I’ve taken note of the lyrics because they are amazing, and I agree they really do speak to me.

    Happy to hear you’re in a better place. Keep doing what you’re doing!
    x

    #25984
    Aphrodite
    Participant
    • Total Posts: 323

    @atea1234

    That’s great! I’m glad you’re going on another date and that the first date was nice! It could be that you’re more ready now as well.
    Going out there out of your apartment and living life is so important, so I’m excited for you! Looking forward to hearing about it:)

    #25986
    Aphrodite
    Participant
    • Total Posts: 323

    Oh, @Belle just realised I missed a post from you earlier.

    Don’t think about the meet up! I know it’s hard but try your best. What will be will be! Of course you should be happy about this but I completely understand that you feel worried about getting false hope, and I think not expecting too much is good like you’ve said.

    Don’t worry you won’t be sitting around thinking about this sort of stuff forever 🙂
    And if it feels right and the vibes are good, why not show him the bed. Though consider how he may feel about you getting a new bed after you dumped him also. I don’t want you thinking about this sort of stuff now though – just go with the flow, stay calm and distract yourself.
    Even I feel really excited for you and need to lower my expectations! Haha. I truly am living it through you!
    But as you were – prepare for a “hello, thanks for the gift, bye” situation or him not showing up at all. The truth is this may happen, so there’s no point in getting your hopes up yet.

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