# flip flop emotions driving me insane...



## Shooboomafoo (Mar 30, 2011)

so this week has been more difficult than most.
Some days I can barely talk about anything without welling up about my soon-to-be-single-after-sixteen-years life to be.
Monday I was alright, feeling better about the situation, not so broken i guess..
and then for three days it was like i would wake up in the morning and "Oh YEAH", my life is fixing to turn to pooh.

im still living in the house, we finally scraped the cash together to pay the clerks fees for filing for divorce, now we have to shore up the sample Decree de' Divorce, so it says everything we want it to, in our pro-se "amicable" (LOL) divorce process.

today I think I recognize a fear. Not really a fear of living alone, but then again maybe a fear of the sorrow that being alone might bring with it, in comparison to what it was, even if I try to romanticize the way it really used to be, when it wasnt.. I try to focus on my future, what am I going to do, where am I going to live, thinking I should be able to afford a small house in the general vicinity even if it is a fixer-upper, i can do all that and it might actually keep me occupied during the "healing process", its that healing process and the true grit of those coming days that are looming that i fear. I dont want to go through it, Ive been through enough just to get to this point already. Good Grief, let it end....

Im going to be turning 40 in a couple of months, and just realized that theres not going to be anything going on for me. I dont think I would want my stbxw to do anything for me, as was the plan since last year, but my only other option is to purchase a couple of 40oz Schlitz Malt Liquors and go stare at the yard. This of course is providing I have already physically seperated from my wife, the divorce is proceeding through and ive found a place of my own. May be too early for that yet though. Here in TX they make you wait 60 days from date of initial filing before you are legally divorced. then I have to send my decree to the financing company so they can get the ball rolling on getting the funding together, then i need to find a house, and move into it, and when its all said and done, There I Will Be. Probably not all going to happen super fast. Lets add time to the slow drain of this shallllll we??

Unfortunately I picture a couch, with me on it, watching television in an otherwise empty house, and that sucks.
But it would probably be about the most I could handle at the time. 
This divorce, and being torn away from the "family" Ive come to live for these past ten years is going to have its big moments for me Im sure. I think that I am fearing that, as I am the type that likes to "prepare", and find myself totally unprepared for whats to come.
Since I am still living in the house with my stbxw, and little girl, its just been kind of like playing "house" while this big black elephant sits in the corner. Hell, we went grocery shopping together the other day, just because we are still buying that kind of stuff out of a joint-account, and paying mortgage, etc, out of that for right now. It all ends when the divorce is done and I am moved out. For now, its hard to keep in mind that this is truly ending, and what you see is not what you get.

I chose to move out. I cant afford that house on my own, and dont think I would want to live there with the memories. She thinks she can handle it, and has her mom living there for additional support, so let them have a go at it. Hope they can keep it going at least until I am in my own place for sure.

Just not liking the day to day rollercoaster of emotions I feel. So freaking burdensome. I need to sleep for a week it seems.
Not looking forward to the days to come, and yet keep picturing myself in my own place. I cant really feel a sense of happiness about it. I still think it is the fear of what emotional turmoil is to come once its finally officially over with that is giving me a hard time. Keep the bar stocked you say?
I also fear this weakness of mine, if and when my then to be EX wants to try to rekindle things. Not trying to fool myself, but I really dont want that ball in my court. Its somewhat less-than-confusing to know that "I" wasnt the one that initiated this divorce. 

We just recently had a friend pass away, and right now, they are going through the whole procedure to get a plot and set up the viewing and burial and all that. My wife is over at his exwife's house (they were lifelong friends his exwife and her) all night last night and the night before "helping out", really involving herself in that. Hell, last weekend we were over there because my daughter swims with their little girl over there and having a few beers, and it was sort of like a pool party, and this dude who passed away, his ex wife who owns that house was lip-locking in the pool with some other guy, so shes obviously moved on, but I guess there were still ties between them as they had that baby girl together. But to see my own wife put so much effort into helping and being there for her during this time, is SO ADMIRABLE,,, to an extent,, i guess..., but just seeing my wife usher herself in the middle of their business in the effort to "help out" when her own marriage at home is in shambles, is weird. Of course, I get the "you dont seem to be interested in really being involved in it" in terms of going over there for moral support 24/7 like my wife has, but you know I AM sort of dealing with some issues of my own you know, like the death of my marriage!!! Sorry to seem like I dont give a FK but what the hell do people expect?? 

To have that turned around on me and being told that I seem careless about his death and involving myself in the many "gatherings" theyve had since then, is one more thing my wife can "use" to demonize me. Hey, lady, how about you mourn the loss of your own family you dumbass. I wish you would have put half that much effort into this marriage before you cheated on me. Maybe I should have just said, Im not going because I dont like you anymore. 
Maybe being all into their business makes her feel better about herself. I wasnt all that close to any of them, so I dont know how involved I should be, and quite frankly because my wife is there I dont really want be there too...Even now, its like after you have chosen to get divorced you have expectations of me to do what YOU want me to do, otherwise i'm a selfish and careless person? Live up to your own standards, physician HEAL THYSELF...


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## Shooboomafoo (Mar 30, 2011)

Sorry,,,,
I didnt mean to post a pity party for myself there.
Most of my family is in other states, and most of my friends are doing great in their families, who needs a downer hangin around.

Being accused of not caring about this other dudes passing away, or not caring to involve myself in the gatherings about it, just sort of sucked.

right now Im in a confusing place, trying to sort out things while right in the middle of it, and not able to do anything about any of it until the divorce is finalized.


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## alphaomega (Nov 7, 2010)

Shooboo,

Things will get better. That's all I can say. Well, not really, I can say more.

Those feeling are there strong because of your living arrangement's right now. As soon as you have your own space, it gets much better. As soon as you start dating again, it gets awesome.

Be strong. Btw. Do you realize how freaking hot forty wear old women are? My god! I never took much stock in the amount until I was separated and started to notice! It's amazing!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## ClipClop (Apr 28, 2011)

Find a hobby or activity to join - bowling, softball, church, book club, music, whatever. Try not to maintain such a bleak picture of your future. It can be so much more if you make the effort.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## alphaomega (Nov 7, 2010)

Yes. Excellent advise. Find a hobby. Go to the gym. Use this time for working on you.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## StrugglingMan (May 20, 2011)

Stay strong and it will get better. You've gotten some good advice, so just hang in and try to find ways to stay occupied. Once you are out of the house, keep moving, do things and meet people. Not necessarily date, just meet people and start building a support network that doesn't involve stbxw. 

Stay strong!


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## Gabriel (May 10, 2011)

Agree - when your W wants to go somewhere like that again, just decline. She doesn't get to drag your ass around anymore. You ever see American Beauty? One of my absolute favorite scenes in that movie is when Kevin Spacey serves Annette Benning and her OM burgers at the drive through. She starts to tell him not to say/do something, and he says, "Nope. You never get to tell me what to do, ever, again." It was awesome. Take this approach. 

And yeah, I would almost be a d*ck to my W right now in your situation. Lot's of "whatever"s and "I don't care"s and "no, not doing that"s.

I think I said this before to someone. Find a female companion - not a lover or GF necessarily, but an opposite sex friend that you can maybe have a meal with or something. Show your wife you are moving on and aren't torn up inside. It's not doing you any good to show this to anyone. Imagine how good you would feel going on a casual date?


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## lordmayhem (Feb 7, 2011)

Shooboomafoo said:


> Sorry,,,,
> I didnt mean to post a pity party for myself there.
> Most of my family is in other states, and most of my friends are doing great in their families, who needs a downer hangin around.
> 
> ...


Don't worry about it, sometimes we just need to vent. That's healthy.


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## lordmayhem (Feb 7, 2011)

Gabriel said:


> Agree - when your W wants to go somewhere like that again, just decline. She doesn't get to drag your ass around anymore. You ever see American Beauty? One of my absolute favorite scenes in that movie is when Kevin Spacey serves Annette Benning and her OM burgers at the drive through. She starts to tell him not to say/do something, and he says, "Nope. You never get to tell me what to do, ever, again." It was awesome. Take this approach.


:smthumbup:

She lost her right to criticize and demonize you to make you feel bad. This is your STBXW, I would shut her off emotionally and ignore her. Like you said, if she put even half the effort into her marriage as she does comforting her friend, things would have turned out differently.

ClipClop gave some outstanding advice. Instead of seeing yourself in an empty house, get out there and live life again. I know, easier said than done. BTDT. When I first divorced, I pretty much self medicated with alcohol for a little bit. Well, maybe not a little bit, maybe a lot. Fortunately, I had good friends at the time, and they dragged me out of the house and the funk I was in. Seek out your friends.


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## AFEH (May 18, 2010)

Shooboomafoo said:


> Sorry,,,,
> I didnt mean to post a pity party for myself there.
> Most of my family is in other states, and most of my friends are doing great in their families, who needs a downer hangin around.
> 
> ...


It’s so important for that stuff to come out, so very important. I wrote pages and pages of “stuff” and found it very therapeutic. It’s at times like these us men really understand what our emotions are all about and just how very powerful those things can be. Love, hate, fear, anxiety, they’re all there.

You appear to be a very aware person Shooboomafoo, you are aware of what’s happening inside of you and the reasons why. Get yourself a copy of Awareness (Anthony de Mello) and he will teach you what others, some here who’ve already walked your journey, know about life. And that is that in the main you are going through a phase, a small journey inside of your larger journey of life. He will teach you that all the emotions you are feeling now will be gone sometime in the future and they’ll be a distant memory. He will teach you about your “Me” that feels all those emotions and your “I” that observes, that watches them dissipate and eventually disappear. He will take you on the inner journey of self discovery.

This is a time to learn how to look after your inner self, how to focus on nurturing your soul and your spirit, I did it through Buddhism, it worked for me.

Bob


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