Me88, it sounds to me like you get a lot of your sense of self and validation from being wanted or needed or seen positively by other people. That's wonderful, because it's right to want to help other people and make their lives brighter, but it also creates a vulnerability. Borderlines are expert at telling us how acutely, truly, madly, deeply they "need" us, and then yanking this affirmation away in the most abrupt and violent fashion, leaving us traumatised and lost.
When you imagine a big positive life change, what comes to mind?
I don't care what strangers think of me, but I do like having a partner who likes and respects me. During the love bombing phase I couldn't do anything wrong, and the things she suddenly hated she 'liked' in the beginning.
The weird part is I've seen my ex before her out in public, didn't really have an impact other than 'ugh go the other way'. Two gfs ago, that one came by my house to see how I was doing and that was really weird but I just moved on and shook my head.
No clue what it is about this one. Maybe I'm just in a place in my life where I was wanting marriage and a family, and aside from her psychotic behavior, we really were great 'friends' who had tons in common (or it was mirroring). Who knows, I'm doing better now. I just hate how that just shocked my system like that from a freaken picture.
And a big change, I don't know. I truly have a wonderful and fulfilling life.