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How to communicate after a contentious divorce... Following a contentious divorce and custody battle, there are often high emotion and tensions between the parents. Research shows that constant and chronic conflict between the parents negatively impacts the children. The children sense their parents anxiety in their voice, their body language and their parents behavior. Here are some suggestions from Dean Stacer on how to avoid conflict.
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Author Topic: Forgiving my BPD ex - Letting Go Of The Anger - Poem- Should I Send It?  (Read 359 times)
inter

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What is your sexual orientation: Straight
Who in your life has "personality" issues: Ex-romantic partner
Posts: 15


« on: December 13, 2017, 08:29:38 PM »

Hello,

It has been exactly a year since my BPD ex cheated and left me for another guy with no rational explanation, remorse or apology after a 5 year friendship and year long relationship. The past year has been the most difficult of my life as I have been depressed, lonely and a complete wreck. Her lack of empathy and indifference toward my pain has hurt me more than her actions. I have been dealing with feelings of abandonment, low self esteem, loneliness and anger.

Since the breakup I have gone completely NC and she has contacted me simply to abuse me on multiple occasions for the most random reasons. Asking to return my stuff, demanding I delete pictures of us on my Instagram and my personal favorite, she showed up to the beach in my hometown where me and my family spend our summers with with her new bf and family after I took her there last summer. She knew it would break my heart and claimed she didn't mean for us to run in to each other. After that dramatic encounter, no apology or communication. I know her and her bf broke up after that trip although I don't know if I had anything to do with it.  She left a drunken voicemail from a random number (I had blocked her) asking if I would come after her looking for revenge (?).

It's been 4 months since I last heard from her. It's been hard as I suffered several set backs since our breakup from all her craziness and emotional abuse. I've taken considerable steps to get better and work on myself. I've been practicing meditation, thoughts of peace, love and forgiveness. I've had a box I've been meaning to give to her but never had the courage to. It contains photographs she's never seen, a book on BPD and a poem I had written for her after the breakup. I never sent it to her because everyone advised against it and I feared triggering her and having her attack me and hurting me again. The truth is I feel like deep down inside it's something I have to do. That I will regret it if I don't and that no matter what it's something I must do. I miss her to death and I just feel that I don't care to be right anymore, i just want to be kind. I want her to know I understand her pain and want her to get better. the poem reads as follow:

J,
My best friend. My worst enemy. The love of my life.

Betrayed. Abandoned. Abused. Forgotten. She left me so broken.
I wonder if she ever really loved me, or if I was just another a pawn in a viscous love cycle.

J,
Unconditional love, eternal love is what I felt for her.
Although she broke my heart time and time again, all I can do is forgive.

She became a part of me. Even after all this time, she still lives inside of me.
She changed my life, for better and for worse.
I will never be the same.

J,
My best friend. My worst enemy. The love of my life.
Miss her always. Forever in my heart.


My question is, what does everyone make of her behavior post-breakup? Would I be making a mistake by sending this? will I regret it? will she receive it kindly? what do you all think of the poem? (I plan to keep NC even after I send it) I don't care to here from her as long as I know she's seen it. it's mainly just for me to free myself from something i've been meaning to do for a year now. It's eating me alive. What should I do? Please help!

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inter

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Who in your life has "personality" issues: Ex-romantic partner
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« Reply #1 on: December 14, 2017, 08:08:03 AM »

It's been 4 months since I last heard from her. It's been hard as I suffered several set backs since our breakup from all her craziness and emotional abuse. I've taken considerable steps to get better and work on myself. I've been practicing meditation, thoughts of peace, love and forgiveness. I've had a box I've been meaning to give to her but never had the courage to. It contains photographs she's never seen, a book on BPD and a poem I had written for her after the breakup. I never sent it to her because everyone advised against it and I feared triggering her and having her attack me and hurting me again. The truth is I feel like deep down inside it's something I have to do. That I will regret it if I don't and that no matter what it's something I must do. I miss her to death and I just feel that I don't care to be right anymore, i just want to be kind. I want her to know I understand her pain and want her to get better. Should I send it?

The poem reads as follow:

j,
My best friend. My worst enemy. The love of my life.

Betrayed. Abandoned. Abused. Forgotten. She left me so broken.
I wonder if she ever really loved me, or if I was just another a pawn in a viscous love cycle.

j,
Unconditional love, eternal love is what I felt for her.
Although she broke my heart time and time again, all I can really do is forgive.

She became a part of me. Even after all this time, she still lives inside of me.
She changed my life, for better and for worse.
I will never be the same.

j,
My best friend. My worst enemy. The love of my life.
Miss you always. Forever in my heart.
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Lost-love-mind
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« Reply #2 on: December 14, 2017, 12:49:49 PM »

Sending a love poem, email or letter does not serve your best interest in recovery.
Unsure of your individual story, it is hard to speculate.
See the thread
https://bpdfamily.com/message_board/index.php?topic=318019.0
Title: has anyone tried a closure letter just for you.
Has very similar story and advice.
Lastly, the poem is great, but it makes you look needy a nd clingy.
Women, non or pwBPD find it unattractive.
Take it from someone that tried such a tactic and failed.
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Conundrum
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« Reply #3 on: December 14, 2017, 01:48:51 PM »

Hullo inter, I'm sorry that you are still suffering.

We suffer when we cling to what we crave.

It often resembles a compulsion.

We rationalize those compulsions by creating dreamscape outcomes in our minds.

However, those compulsions while feeling real are illusory.

For it prevents us from radically accepting the behavioral truths of another and clearly perceiving their beings.

Here, the professed empathy that you feel for her is the rationalization motivating the desire to send a poem.

But is it really... ?

Because, the empirical evidence of her behavior stands before you--yet you choose to not process it. Due to it feeling unfathomable that she could treat you in such dismissive unfeeling ways. 

However, it is not only possible. It is truth.

She does not care one iota whether you understand her pain or want her to get better.

She will consider your poem patronizing and unappealing. She will dislike you even further.

The poem is about your feelings--a desire to commune with her.

That is a compulsion born from feelings which have not been mastered and are still in disarray.

That is why this board exists. To learn how to meaningfully detach.

However, the outcome from sending that poem is foreseeable. Causing further suffering. Maybe even subjecting yourself to abuse.

It will neither entice her nor soothe your soul. After the high, and excited feelings wear off, after the sending... .  suffering will inevitably set in.   

We can grow extremely close, fall in love, and make a life with another, yet we do not carry the burden of being the clockmaker. It is neither our obligation nor responsibility to sort out the highly unsortable.

Relationships occur containing experiences that are beyond our emotional limits. They are enigmas, often with components of abuse that leave deeply rooted scars.

Though there is grace in letting go. She does not define your essence. Nothing she said or did in the relationship is necessarily a reflection on your individual worth. A disordered swirling storm does not bring sustained peace. The moments of calm found in the eye always pass. As generational patterns without synthesis (healing) flow on through space and time--leaving a nice person such as yourself shell-shocked gasping for relief.

Sending that poem will cause further suffering.

External attachments (romantic) are only a portion of what we celebrate about life. Lovers and relationships come and go. That is ok too. What's not ok is permitting another to divorce you from your essential being. Which is never solely dependent upon the vagaries of another's disposition or personality traits.

For the truth of our lives, the universe and everything is that all things change (even pwBPD though in geologic time  Smiling (click to insert in post)). I wish you peace.     
 
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« Reply #4 on: December 14, 2017, 05:36:52 PM »

Hi inter,

Good to see you.  I'm sorry to hear that you have been having a tough time of things, yet encouraged by your steps to heal and work on yourself.  It's not always easy to motivate oneself to do these things when feeling hurt, so kudos to you.

I think that beezle and Conundrum both made some good comments.

My two cents is this.  I would encourage you to explore the feeling that you are identifying as lack of courage and really ask yourself if the thing that is preventing you from taking this action may be in fact your unconscious speaking to you.  Some may describe this as intuition, or your true wisdom from within.  What does it feel like and where in your body do you have the sensation that you experience when you've thought about giving her the box?  If you really think about this, when you are calm and centred, I think you will know in all honesty that making contact with her in this way is far less likely to achieve the outcome you desire than it is to inflict further pain upon you.

Perhaps it is worth writing down every possible scenario and continue down the timeline to the overall conclusion.  I'm afraid that the conclusion in all but one scenario has a high probability of being further pain and heartache for yourself.  You are already doing so well with your steps, so now would be a good time to give the priority in your life entirely to yourself and your healing inter.   

I learned of a story this year called the monkey trap.  Have you heard it?  The easiest way to catch a monkey is to put a banana in a jar.  The monkey, seeing the banana will put his hand inside to retrieve it and grasp it tightly.  His hand is then stuck, however the monkey, so desperate to hold onto his banana refuses to let go, making him so much easier to catch.  Eventually we must let go, as hard as it is, or else we cannot be free to move forwards and go about our lives in ways that are positive for us.  Holding on keeps us trapped.  I know it probably hurts to read this and I feel for you.   

Can you tell me where you keep this box?  Is it visible to you all of the time or somewhere within easy reach?  There may be an opportunity to do something symbolic here which may allow you to release yourself from this hold that is over you.  My suggestion would be to remove the contents from the box, put the box into recycling, place the poem and pictures inside the BPD book, then put it away somewhere not regularly accessed and out of sight.  When you are completely over the r/s and have made further progress with your own life, there will come an opportunity to accidentally stumble upon this book and to remember fondly the good times you shared, having fully grieved, detached and healed from the other aspects of your experience.  At this time you may find yourself smiling and also perhaps wishing her well wherever she is, without feeling the need to think into things any further or do anything about it.  Then you can go on with your day.

She is responsible for her own life and will make choices to acknowledge, accept and act upon her own traits as and when she is ready.  One thing I do know for sure is we cannot push someone to be ready before they are.  Just as we cannot and wouldn't want to push you to be ready to let go.  Either way, whether you decide to take this advice or not, we will always be here for you and support you whatever you choose to do.  Stay in touch. 

Love and light x

PS I read a quote once which stayed with me.  It said don't keep looking back to the past.  You're not going that way.     
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« Reply #5 on: December 15, 2017, 07:52:46 PM »

Hi inter,

You got good advice in the real world, I would advise that you put this on pause for now and hang into the photos, book and poem for now. You said so yourself that you feel emotionally distressed, let’s say fast forward a few days or weeks and you may find yourself feeling a littler better.

What I means is try to think where  your emotional and rational mind overlap that space called wisemind. To answer your question, she’s probably grieving a pwBPD have inhibited grieving and grief is rerouted through anger and acting out.

My advice to you is shift the focus and energy away from her and focus on yourself with self care. Try to eat well, get enough sleep, meditate, go for walks outside, do some resistance training and cardio, write poems, spend time with family and friends, do the things that you enjoy. Take really good care of yourself.

PS I enjoy your poem it comes from a place of true and honest feelings. Being cool (click to insert in post)
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