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 91 
 on: December 02, 2025, 10:24:01 PM  
Started by JP1214 - Last post by mssalty
What’s hard is that it’s never okay for you to be angry, upset, or right.  They can be, but you can’t.  And if you argue the point, they flip it back on you and say “I guess I’m the evil one” as though anger in a relationship is a sign that you’re Satan. 

Truthfully they cannot sit with being wrong, blamed, or responsible.  And the only option is to put it on someone else.  Even in their problems, they want someone else to make them go away or think some quick fix should do it without them having to really change. 

My SO has spent the past couple of years so deeply wrapped in themselves that I feel alone and adrift even in their presence.  I hear about their problems 24/7 and when I share almost anything their eyes glaze over or they look at their phone. 

A relationship where you are never important is hard. 

 92 
 on: December 02, 2025, 10:15:24 PM  
Started by JP1214 - Last post by mssalty
All of that sounds familiar. I have not found a way out of the labyrinth. My pwbpd goes to blame mode very often. I might be asking him something important (I needed him to carry laundry because my hand was broken)   but he cant stick to the topic at hand (just carry the laundry) it turns into him suggesting that my need was somehow hurting him, he seems to cling to any small occurrence that could possibly have a negative interpretation (my face looked tired when I asked so he thinks I am accusing him of being lazy).   

Ah, the old “I can interpret your facial expressions like a psychic”.   Exhausting.   

 93 
 on: December 02, 2025, 07:25:06 PM  
Started by Ct2032 - Last post by Ct2032
Hello,
I'm brand new to this forum. My husband and I sleep in separate rooms. We've had some good years here and there, but I am miserable, and the last year has been absolutely awful. Getting divorced would be a financial nightmare. I've looked into it and will keep on trying to find a way out.
 My husband's anger can be vicious, unpredictable, and impossible to live with. I'm in the midst of reading Walking on Eggshells and so much of the last 30 years is starting to make sense. When my husband (do we use first names on here?) turned 60, he had a health scare. It wasn't a major health scare; there was no actual threat to his life. But that, combined with turning 60, put his BPD behavior on overload. He is scary when he is angry. Last fall, he "went off" on me multiple times, accusing me of horrific things. I'm chasing our children away (our daughter got married two months before), I'm a drug addict (he is referring to my prescription medication), and I treat him the way his mother treated his father (I suspect she had BPD as well). There was much, much more, and it was very traumatic. I now work with the local women's center.
He is also paranoid and afraid of strange and unlikely things. For example, he believes that we need bright lights around our house because he is convinced that without them, a plane will hit the house. If we don't leave the obnoxiously bright "grow lights" on, all of the plants in the house will die over the winter. 
Since last fall's dramatic event, he has become even stranger. He spends most of his time at home in his bedroom. He talks to me for 5-10 minutes and asks me nothing about my day, then he goes into his room and closes the door. For a while, I think he was vaping cannabis daily. I haven't smelled it in the last two weeks, though. He believes that he has become a Buddhist-this would be fine if he were actually following the spiritual tenets of the religion. But he lacks the capacity to embrace it. I could go on, but writing this all down makes the situation's craziness get to me.
So, why can't I leave? It's complicated and messy. I cannot afford a lawyer who might protect my pension and savings. He does not have any savings, no 401K/IRA. He spends money frivolously. And, I have enabled everything to the point that I have been in a debt cycle so that our household runs, and our children did not go without when they were younger.
I don't have a question for the forum. Just wanted to introduce myself and say that I'm hopeful to find people who know what my marriage is like.

 94 
 on: December 02, 2025, 04:01:15 PM  
Started by FriedDaughter - Last post by CC43
Hi there,

My parents aren't disordered, but they would drive me bonkers when they visited with me.  For starters, they'd  give me only a few days' notice, not really co-ordinating with me.  I'd try to accommodate as best as I could, but I couldn't easily take time off work, especially at such short notice.  Since they are old-fashioned, they seemed unwilling to understand that a woman might have job responsibilities; they generally assumed that I was available to be a hostess at their convenience.  Then they insisted on bringing their dog, even though I asked them not to (I'm allergic), and they could have found another solution, like boarding or letting the dog stay at my sibling's place one town over.  My parents would point out every defect in my home, thinking they were being helpful, when it felt like constant complaints and/or criticism.  My dad would insist on having the TV on all day, blaring like a siren in an open-plan house, whereas I never turn on the TV until after dinner.  I had a hard time taking work calls, and I struggled to get my work done.  At night, my dad's snoring would disturb my sleep.  In short, my parents demanded my full service, my undivided attention, my servitude, much like when I was a little girl.  (I probably have oldest-girl syndrome.)

One day when staying at my house, my dad asked me for towels, and I gave him my brand new monogrammed set which was a gift.  He proceeded to clean his car's wheels with them.  Apparently the clean state of my car had inspired him to clean his own car.  But what he meant was rags, not towels.  I had forgotten to clarify with him the intended use of the towels, so it was my fault they were ruined.  Apparently my dad forgot the word for rags.  Anyway, what's undeniable is that when my parents aren't in their own home, they feel and act a little off--their routines are disrupted, the travel is hard on them, and they do a lot of things that seem out of character.  My dad literally climbed my bookshelves, because he didn't know if I had a stepstool (I do), and he wanted to see a book on the top shelf (he hadn't read an actual book in years).  He had a tendency to break my furniture, because he was in unfamiliar territory, just too excitable, and maybe a bit clumsy and bored.

My point is, hosting even well-meaning and loving parents can be a huge strain.  Like you, I can probably take only two or three days, the equivalent of a long weekend.  Three days feels like an eternity if there are no activities or scheduled events.  If there are no concrete plans, I'll usually try to manufacture something:  a trip antiquing, a museum visit, at least one brunch or dinner out.  Of course, all that is subject to parental mobility and health issues, but I think you get the idea.  Any longer-term stay deserves a hotel in my opinion.  When I've visited my parents, I've stayed in a hotel on occassion--it's easier on them and me.  The excuse is that there aren't enough bedrooms when multiple family members visit.  Having a hotel is a perfect excuse to give the host(s) a break, too (Why don't we dine out or at the hotel tonight, wouldn't that be fun?).

I think you can set a boundary.  With BPD, it's best to frame a boundary as a benefit to your mother if you can.  You could say something like, We love to have you, but school nights are really chaotic these days, with all the after-school activities and pick-ups, homework that has to get done, and music practice in the evenings.  I really think you would be more comfortable if you could have a quiet place to yourself in a nearby hotel, at least on school nights.  And then I don't have to worry so much about disturbing or overwhelming you.  In other words, if you set some boundaries about your mother's stay that supposedly are for your mother's benefit, you might reduce the possibility of making her feel unwelcome.  Your sanity and calm might be worth a few bucks at a hotel.

 95 
 on: December 02, 2025, 03:33:53 PM  
Started by CanBuild91 - Last post by CanBuild91
Thank you mitochondrium, I know you're right, I've always known this is good advice, I just can't bring myself to detach, even after so long.

Under the Bridge, that's very interesting about how things picked up after 9 months as if nothing had happened. 3 years is a good deal longer, but also my ex never really had a relationship before me, and doesn't seem to have found a replacement. She is also clearly still attached, as evidenced by the months of nostalgic posts that have gotten increasingly direct about missing an ex. I just hope she will round that corner, finally unblock the texts, and be open to a conversation. I believe in my heart that we can find a more stable happiness if we tried again, as I've learned many lessons and grown. We just need to speak. 

 96 
 on: December 02, 2025, 02:36:21 PM  
Started by SnailShell - Last post by SnailShell
I was back in 'her' city over the weekend after being broken up for 18 months (jeez, that flew).

It feels wrong... still thinking about this.

I feel like I've been doing brilliantly, and even being back in the city again was fine.

I visited friends, saw family etc...

Then I saw a friend that she introduced me to.

The guy is a therapist, and I've deliberately never spoken to him about what actually happened.

This time, he sort of casually asked me - and made it clear that he didn't really know the girl any more, and that he was just interested.

I shared some things with him - not everything - and he said that he thought I was probably better off out of the situation.

The more I was there, the more I felt stirred up.

It's a very 'settled' city - lots of married couples and settled people; and it has a strong Christian ethos.

I feel like I'm still trying to get my sh** together in a huge, global-sized city where I share with four other flat mates. I'm 36.

She has a car, a house of her own (well - paid for by her parents), a professional job, and is getting married soon (I know from mutual people).

I'd absolutely love to have her life... which is ridiculous; because I've been in a relationship with her and I know that when the front door closes, she seems to 'switch'.

I never felt respected by her, she pushed on my boundaries routinely, I was her fp and that was really tough (feeling like someone's saviour is just never a good thing).

When we broke up the first time, she spent all week texting me - demanding that I text her back too; but then told me that she'd been on two other dates that week.

When I saw her with another guy later down the line (after we'd broken up again for two months, but had kept in touch); she said that she 'wouldn't talk to me out of respect for him'.

Which sounds mature, but she never respected me - and that last comment of hers hurt so much that I just had to cut contact.

It was then that her partner called to threaten me, and tell me to back off (of course - I actually HAD backed off - most of the contact was coming from her at that point).

The thing is - our mutual friend (the therapist that I met) told me that if I'd seen her in Uni; I'd have been shocked. Apparently she was non-functional then, and he commended her for working on herself so much.

And that's one of the things that *I* admired too.

It makes me feel like she's pulled her life together, and as though I'm just... kind of... a total loser.

I have about eight hours of paid teaching work (I'm a self-employed artist); and I've just finished training to be a therapist myself - but I have 80 or so unpaid hours to do before I can practice.

I have two potential Master's degrees on the horizon...

I really REALLY feel like I can pull life together in the next 2-3 years... it's just so hard right now.

I'm struggling.

 97 
 on: December 02, 2025, 02:25:57 PM  
Started by FriedDaughter - Last post by Notwendy
T I would really like to limit it to 1 week/year (I will also go back to the other side of the country 1mo/year but stay with friends), but I have a feeling she will get very upset about that, as she seems to be planning to come 3-4x/year.

My BPD mother would get upset at boundaries. Saying "no" to her was very difficult- she would react, get upset. The alternative- no boundaries and just agreeing to what she wanted wasn't always a good choice either. I would say yes to what I was willing to agree to but any "no" was as if I had done the worst thing ever to her.

Your home, your money- your boundary.

Saying "no" wasn't easy, it didn't get easy. I didn't like to say no to her but she didn't respect boundaries and was persistent when she wanted something.

 98 
 on: December 02, 2025, 12:47:04 PM  
Started by FriedDaughter - Last post by FriedDaughter
Thank you for this advice. I get resentful that she becomes a financial burden when she plans long trips frequently, but you're probably right that getting her somewhere else to stay is the best solution. I need to let go of my anger of her taking advantage of me financially when I was younger and make the best decision for my family now. The choice is realistically between things escalating to the point where I have to go NC, or biting the bullet to pay for a hotel for her when she comes, and setting some boundary as to how many days/year I will do that. I would really like to limit it to 1 week/year (I will also go back to the other side of the country 1mo/year but stay with friends), but I have a feeling she will get very upset about that, as she seems to be planning to come 3-4x/year.

 99 
 on: December 02, 2025, 12:16:10 PM  
Started by CanBuild91 - Last post by mitochondrium
Hello CanBuild91,

from your posts it seems like you are preocupied with social media posts of your ex. I would suggest you hide her from your newsfeed, if she decides she wants to unblock and contact you, she still absolutley can. Maybe it would be easier to move on like that, but still leave a door a bit open for her and not thinking of evry one of her posta if they really are for you and what she wants with them.
Just a thoight ;) Good luck!

 100 
 on: December 02, 2025, 12:00:51 PM  
Started by eightdays - Last post by PeteWitsend
Good for you!  Sounds like a pretty good outcome, after all. 

I think the myth of the "aggressive attorney" being the same as a "competent" or "good" attorney needs to die.  Legal work is a grind, and a long struggle; the people that want to come out "guns blazing" are often not going to be good at it, after a hearing or two. 

I'd just be cautious about branding your new partner non-PD.  I was in another relationship post-divorce that started out wonderful, and was wonderful, for most of a year before I started to see the signs of PD again.  Fortunately I did not marry her, and it didn't last as long as my earlier marriage to a pwBPD, but longer than it should have. 

I'd also note that in my case, my new GF was very supportive of my issues with BPDxw and my commitment to parenting time with my daughter (about 8 months into our relationship I went back to court to get additional parenting time and limit some of the rights BPDxw was abusing), and would often comment how wrong it was that my XW behaved the way she did.  But over time, her attitude changed on this issue to lumping BPDxw and me together (rhetorically) as like an example of how I made a mistake, and now how our current relationship was "below her" and I needed to be better if I wanted to keep her happy... more trips, household help, more spending, nicer house, etc.  After a further miserable year and a half together, I finally got out. 

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