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Just Found Out :
Anyone else a glutton for punishment?

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question

 OldCow18 (original poster member #39670) posted at 10:21 PM on Monday, July 8th, 2013

It's been about 3 weeks since the last time I've read the XXX emails they shared. Why do I argue with myself almost daily about reading them again? Why do I want to? It will make me shake uncontrollably and send me into an emotional free fall, but yet, I still have the urge to. Anyone else? Why is this?

Me, BW forty something, DD & DS,
Married to WH (49) 11 years, together 16
D-Day 6.8.13

posts: 620   ·   registered: Jun. 26th, 2013
id 6401121
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Skan ( member #35812) posted at 10:45 PM on Monday, July 8th, 2013

Because you can't believe it. Because you hope that if you read them again, they will have changed. Because you hope that they aren't as bad as you remember. Because sometimes, you have to see or hear things over and over and over again, before it sinks in.

In time, your need to re-read will probably die down. But I'm over a year out and I still do go back and re-read. Just because I need to remind myself that this really did happen. (((hugs)))

Imagine a ship trying to set sail while towing an anchor. Cutting free is not a gift to the anchor. You must release that burden, not because the anchor is worthy, but because the ship is.

D-Day, June 10, 2012


posts: 11513   ·   registered: Jun. 11th, 2012   ·   location: So California
id 6401151
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starmoonchild ( member #39117) posted at 11:09 PM on Monday, July 8th, 2013

Totally agree with all of the above. I am still reading the e-mails a year later as well, my mind just seems to need to see them to believe it, and then I get upset all over again. It tears me apart to read them, but I just have to, God.

posts: 268   ·   registered: Apr. 27th, 2013   ·   location: Canada
id 6401165
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1Faith ( member #38975) posted at 11:16 PM on Monday, July 8th, 2013

Agree with everyone. I also think it is to validate how we feel. We don't want to be the emotional wreck we are so by re-reading them it justifies our "craziness"

Hang in there and do what you need to do to feel okay even if it is the cause of pain.

We all get it and understand.

Hugs

[This message edited by 1Faith at 7:52 PM, July 8th (Monday)]

Sometimes my life feels like a test I didn't study for

posts: 4131   ·   registered: Apr. 12th, 2013
id 6401169
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Jospehine85 ( member #35971) posted at 11:53 PM on Monday, July 8th, 2013

You will probably read them until you are literally bored of reading them and they no longer elicit a strong physical reaction.

Me - BS
WH - old
Kids
Dday May 2012

posts: 1598   ·   registered: Jun. 28th, 2012
id 6401205
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Ashland13 ( member #38378) posted at 11:55 PM on Monday, July 8th, 2013

This is part of why I call post-dday time a sort of fog and also a process or journey that we are unwillingly thrust on.

Stress. Shock. Numbness. Loss of time.

And so on go the magnitude of feelings that come to us without notice.

When time restarted after DDay, I, too, had behavior patterns like OldCow. An IC I had said it was a combination of the feelings and a sense of OCD, the repetition points to that. I've read some other scenarios of people having this reaction and like I said, I did it too, but it was constantly looking at the social networks to see how they had changed, was I still there? and so on.

FWIW, I had to make conscientious effort to stop and finally had to realize on my own, that I was causing myself more hurt with the behavior pattern.

It was not overnight and yes, I caused myself the pain that you are having happen, but that's part of why I also think of our recovery as a process.

I wish you well and hope that you will be able to overcome this "stage" soon, OldCow.

P.S. Thank you for the smile that I got from reading your screen name.

Ashland 13

A person is a person, no matter how small. -Dr. Suess

Perserverance and spirit have done wonders in all ages.

-George Washington

posts: 3034   ·   registered: Feb. 7th, 2013   ·   location: New England
id 6401209
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musiclovingmom ( member #38207) posted at 11:58 PM on Monday, July 8th, 2013

I did this too. Then, I deleted them. I know what they said. I see them over and over in my brain, but they're getting fuzzier. Only the real zingers stand out now. And the pictures. I made the decision to delete them becuse I KNEW it would always hurt to read them, I KNEW they weren't going to change, I KNEW no matter how many times I read them it wouldn't undo what he did. But it took me some time to get there.

posts: 1764   ·   registered: Jan. 21st, 2013
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ouchbroken ( new member #35929) posted at 11:33 PM on Tuesday, July 9th, 2013

I read them once and then got rid of them all. Now I sometimes wish that I hadn't but maybe it's for the best?

posts: 5   ·   registered: Jun. 23rd, 2012
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gypsybird87 ( member #39193) posted at 11:44 PM on Tuesday, July 9th, 2013

I don't have any emails or texts between them, so my self-torture was going to their facebook pages over and over and over.... Ugh. Looking for pictures (why?!), and to see if either one had changed their status to "in a relationship with..." Pathetic, right? I know.

In honor of the 4th, I declared July my "independence month" from the FB obsessing. I wrote up a little declaration of independence even! It says:

"July is the month of independence. I declare my independence from facebook stalking. During the month of July, I will not look at XWH's page, or OW's page or OWD's (her daughters) page. I deserve this independence! My time is too valuable to be wasted on caring about people who do not care about me."

In order to get through this month, I've given myself silent permission to snoop all I want at midnight on Aug 1st, lol. But hopefully by that time, I won't want to anymore and will have broken this destructive habit. So far, so good!!

Maybe you could try something similar? Just an idea.

Hugs to you!!

Me: Enjoying life
Him: Someone else's problem

Follow your heart, but take your brain with you. ~ Alfred Adler
Letting go of the outcome is about the most empowering thing you can do for yourself. ~ LosferWords

posts: 1857   ·   registered: May. 7th, 2013   ·   location: Oregon
id 6402555
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thecosmogirl ( member #39707) posted at 5:10 AM on Wednesday, July 10th, 2013

My WH wrote me a letter, declaring that was All of the disclosure,.,.,I want to believe that letter and read it over and over......still not positive though....my perception of disclosure is not his.....

I do take this into consideration......but.....still not 100% convinced...

Because of the lies early on after Day...

Me: BS
Him: doesn't matter anymore




D-day 14 June 2013


I'm smart, good looking and gosh darn it, people like me!

posts: 330   ·   registered: Jun. 29th, 2013   ·   location: trying to figure it out
id 6402895
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solus sto ( member #30989) posted at 2:39 PM on Wednesday, July 10th, 2013

The traumatized mind can only take in hurtful information incrementally. So, we return again and again to the hurtful questions and documents because our minds need the reinforcement that repetition affords.

You're not a glutton for punishment. You're simply trying to understand. And because you can't take it all in at once, there's a teeny bit of magical thinking....the hope that, maybe this time, you'll see something different, something that gives you hope.

It's normal. At some point, you will know them all by heart, and stop returning to them. You will decide that they have nothing to offer you.

BS-me, 62; X-irrelevant; we’re D & NC. "So much for the past and present. The future is called 'perhaps,' which is the only possible thing to call the future. And the important thing is not to let that scare you." Tennessee Williams

posts: 15630   ·   registered: Jan. 26th, 2011   ·   location: midwest
id 6403123
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