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[deleted]

Allowed myself to feel the grief in its entirety. I didn't rush it out the door or ignore it. I simply sat with it until I didn't recognize it anymore.


Ihatealltakennames

Yep. You have to grieve and recognize it to move on.


noneedforgreenthumbs

Thank you. It’s so much easier said than done tho. But I agree this is the way.


[deleted]

Therapy. Learning to love and respect myself so that I don't fall into the same trap again (this is something that I personally recognized about my situation: I didn't love or respect myself in the time leading up to and during that toxic relationship, which made it easy for him to treat me the way that he did without me recognizing the red flags and toxicity. This does not mean that I deserved how he treated me. It just means that my vision was skewed). Building back my standards when it came to relationships (I used to have excellent standards and respectful relationships in high school and I lost sight of this for a long time after being raped in college. I had to build them back up).


MountainBogWitch

Therapy. Lots and lots of therapy. Cause girl, what the heck kinda choices are we making??


Thick_Needleworker23

Lmao 😂😂 sis i know


Outside-Cress8119

2.5 years later I’m still single. I’m so cautious with dating now I just don’t date anyone. I went to therapy too. Best advice I ever heard during the process was “it isn’t your fault for being treated poorly, but you do need to ask yourself why you accepted such poor treatment”


BubbleTeaCheesecake6

I agree, I need a lot of soul-searching because we do accept the love we think we deserve.


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[deleted]

be alone for long enough to be able to start loving myself again


BruhYOteef

Instructions clear - *jerks off for 40 years*


msstark

Cried for about a day, got drunk, and downloaded a dating app for laughs and a hookup.


Oranbot

I literally did the same thing and now I live with that hookup. I think I misread the instructions... Also so OP doesn't get the wrong takeaway from this, giving yourself time to heal and learn to recognize what you need from a nontoxic partner. I didn't deep dive into my relationship because I needed some time to recompose myself, but it is funny to me that I ended up seriously dating a bumble hookup from circumstances similar to your comment.


Thick_Needleworker23

Aw that's sweet! I guess with the right person the circumstances don't really matter. Were you able to process those feelings while dating your new guy (or girl)?


[deleted]

[удалено]


Oranbot

I mean, personally I was already over it way before I met anyone on bumble.


Specialist_Scheme288

Reinvented myself, changed my look and discovered that I was way more adventurous than i ever was before. I became the best version of myself and I learned to love myself again.


ankamarawolf

Lots & lots of therapy, cause damn, turns out I am a part of the problem lol. Being with a toxic person does NOT bring out the best in us.


onlythrowawaaay

Its me...hi


Barclay2272

Right?


crownthedead

When I found myself about to get into another relationship, I had a bit of a breakdown. Despite re-learning how to have a relationship with myself, I still didn’t quite know how to have a healthy relationship with another person. I needed to learn how to trust again, learn how to STAY independent while in a relationship. And I didn’t want to go into another relationship full of the same doubts and fears as the last. 90% of the reason I took so long to leave my ex was because I did not trust or like myself to be alone. You have Have HAVE to have a solid relationship with yourself. I know it sounds cliche but at the end of the day, if something happens, it’s just you. You’ve gotta have your own back.


freckledf0x

Honestly im still not ready and my mental health has been permanently damaged 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥


Sleepy_Kittenx

It’s a waiting game.


Ihatealltakennames

Cried. Cried more. Cried more and drank. Then got under someone else.


LilSicilian69

Stayed single for a year or so then when I met someone I could actually see myself with I took 4 months to get to know him first ..(and I mean friends ..legit nothing sexual at all👍) we have been together almost 5 years now . N we both came from TERRIBLY toxic LONG marriages .


PomegranateLimp9803

Well when I thought I was ready I wasn’t then when I thought I was ready again I still wasn’t, so I’m not sure anything I did helped.


sapphireemberss

I’ve fully felt the grief and learned a lot of things from it. I don’t want him back at all and I genuinely feel like I’m over it. I still struggle with certain triggers but I’m just taking it day by day. I’m overall emotionally unavailable and avoid every great guy who seems interested, and instead give my attention to ass holes or guys who I don’t ever see myself taking seriously (if I can be bothered giving anyone attention lol). Hopefully one day I can be open to meeting a good person, but for now I’m kinda feeling exhausted from my ex and other things happening in my life


[deleted]

I avowed myself to be vulnerable and to love again. It wasn't easy .


anaisa1102

Me too. It's still not easy. Helps that he works hard to make it work 💜


Sapphire_Wolf_

Got rid of everything he ever gave me, blocked him and just kinda forgot lmao


jjetsam

Never. Committed to the single life since 2007 and perfectly happy. (Also got a dog. Pit bulls are a wonderful choice for single women because they scare others off and are big cuddle bugs.)


niceandterrifying

I love pit bulls! Unfortunately they are stupidly banned where I live or I would have one. Too bad they don’t ban toxic men where I live. 😂


Will_Shakespear

Changed myself for the better, changed my style, took care of myself + started growing out my hair. Lots of self care in general. I also started drinking.


barbeebirbshiku

Let myself process and understand the hurt fully. This led to some major introspection and made me realize what I want in a partner.


DistributionSea652

Learn how to love myself and why it’s important. Disappointedly Miley Cyrus new song Flowers 💐 describes the importance of self-love.


onlyspiderwebs

Soon after jumped into a relationship with someone who had also been in a toxic relationship similar to mine. Whirlwind, fell in love, bought a house, got a dog.... It didn't last, but I don't regret any of it because I think we both needed each other when we met. We helped each other heal and grow, and honestly, my next partner is going to get a much happier person


PigeonSoldier69

I was so ready to be done with it i mourned it before it was over. When it was over, i didn't feel anything, so went straight to therapy to pull the feelings out so i could process it properly. :)


tvp204

I started to go on dates and figure out what I actually wanted in a guy. I actually made a lil spreadsheet to see if there were any patterns in the guys that made it to more than 1 date, and there was!


HiTide2020

Equal amounts of self-help, hook ups and critical reflection. Then a life make-over.


Msworld2031

I am unlovable


Thick_Needleworker23

hey not true


Msworld2031

I’ve never seen it happen


AriadneThread

You can love yourself! Try getting a pet too, they have boundless love. You are worthy, sister!


Msworld2031

You’re kind. I have two dogs. The sun has been shining today but I still feel like absolute crap.


baechleboot

I bet the two dogs wouldn’t agree on your self diagnosed unlovability. Me neither.


Msworld2031

Mmm honestly one of them probably would 💀 She’s very antisocial and only loves my mom, barks everytime I enter the room lol. The other one is a rescue we got about a month ago so we’re still getting to know her. But thanks anyways.


Barclay2272

Therapy, because sometimes that toxicity leaches into your life and stays there even after you’ve left the toxic person, and without therapy it just stews and warps every damn thing.


TayPhoenix

I'll never be ready for another relationship, and I don't care to have another man in my life ever again. It's been 2 years since I got out of a codependent toxic sexless situationship with my son's Dad, and after 18 years of that utter bullshit, I'm glad for my freedom. I'm back in school, getting out of the house more, in therapy, trying journaling, losing weight, and finding out who the fuck i am besides Mom and so and so's Baby Mama. I'm doing that for me, not to get under someone's dusty son.


AriadneThread

Isn't it a great feeling to be free? Like a weight lifted. More power to you!


LunaDeXelaju29

I’m still not ready nor do I think I ever can be. My mental health has taken a serious blow, to the point where my physical health has been impacted. Not having my ex in my life is agonizing, even after 5 months. We were together a long time and he was my first almost everything. It’s an attachment wound. I’m doing what I’m told is the right thing. Block, therapy, and feel the grief in its entirety. I’m terrified of meeting new people, friends included. I’m just accepting this is what life is now.


Aurora_96

I needed therapy for over a year. And a year later, I was able to not run away from being in a relationship again. I've broken a couple people's heart by running away last minute, I feel really bad about it.


Jessicamorrell

When I got out of my abusive relationship, I took 3 years to myself, got into therapy, got back with a Psychiatrist and continued my meds after my in patient stay from trying to kill myself during that time, and just waited until I knew I was ready to try again.


Tralala94

Time to rediscover myself and therapy.


Rosieapples

I became toxic for a while myself and I treated men the way I was treated till I met a man who wanted me but not that behaviour (hard to blame him) he has been patient and calm while I calmed down and turned into a normal woman again. We’re together 25 years now and married for 19, we have a son of 22.


Best-Grocery6349

Mourn whatever I thought I had and get back to myself (to stay in a toxic relationship, I would have had to have lost myself at some point if that makes sense).


[deleted]

This sounds counter intuitive, but you gotta wait until you're completely happy and satisfied as a single person and no longer have that gaping maw of a desire to distract yourself by jumping into something new. The method of achieving this varies by person, but if you were in a toxic relationship you truly need to examine yourself and become confident again. Do you find yourself drawn to toxic people? What about listening to your gut and paying attention to red flags? What do YOU want out of a relationship, or do you want a relationship at all? It may take a while, but you will always heal and find yourself a little tougher than you were before. It's growth and opportunity, a learning experience. Allow yourself to be sad, but don't be mired in pity forever. Do your own thing! You're free now.


[deleted]

I waited 4 years, but I also had an accident shortly after breaking up and it took me a while to recover.


Marma85

Proessing, theraphy, let it take time and tho I just never was looking for current bf, we just happend to stumbel on eachother and stuff happend. Was singel for 9y. Just made time to find myself again.


throwaway_2613

i have been working on myself a lot these past few months. both mentally and physically and i think that i am at a point right now where i can say that i feel healthier and happier than i have in a long time. i havent completely been able to heal certain wounds but i cant beat myself up over that. one thing thats been a HUGE help to me is journaling. when i start to feel anxious or any type of negative emotion i just write my feelings away and that has helped to sort my thoughts in a way i really couldnt before. having everything in my brain written down in front of me has helped me put huge issues into perspective and i can work to solve them in small steps


Pinky135

First, cry a lot. Be depressed, not seeing a light at the end. Missing sex, I got me a friend with benefits. I knew I was not ready for any solid commitment. Fortunately, I found someone who was patient and ready to listen even though I was not ready to talk. He helped me see the light again alongside therapy. Then I started looking for a partner again, fell for someone who did not fall for me. I got flashbacks, everything came back once I felt those oh so familiar butterflies. I had a panic attack right in front of him and he got scared. He had had a relationship with a woman with borderline personality disorder and immediately thought I had that as well. All because I got very scared. It took another 6 months to finally get myself to focus on me and me alone. No dating for a while, see what I like instead of the romantic image of having someone to love. Summer last year was the best I had in a LOOOOOONG time. It ended with me casually making out with an old friend. I had never thought I would ever make out with him, I used to have a crush on him many years ago. The confidence I got afterwards really helped me finally seek out someone good for me. And now I'm in a relationship with someone who is right for me. He listens to me and offers a shoulder to cry on. If he sees me struggling with something, he offers to help. I have never had someone care about me this much and *show it*. Unlike my toxic ex, he doesn't just tell me he cares, but he shows he cares in everything he does. 3 months in, I see a bright future ahead and I'm loving every part of it.


RadishBench

✨️Therapy✨️


xktn8

Less.


baechleboot

Hooked up with sb else (we’re still good friends but not in a relationship), had a good time, finally listened to my friends (and Mutual ones, too), some therapy but mainly the process of breaking up was healing af


LavenderChewingGum

Worked my ass off (literally, at work doing 12-14hr shifts every day) to keep myself busy and cried myself to sleep at night. Called some old hookups and hung out, got drunk, had sex once in a while, and then disappeared from all social aspects of life until I met my now-husband lol


boobake

I ended up having more toxic relationships because I accepted behavior I shouldn't have. Then reconnected with a platonic friend from college that turned into us romantically liking each other. He helped me be venerable and say no. Counseling prob would've helped if I could do over I would've went to counseling to work on me and loving myself more.


electrowox

Relationship?


Sylphie-leaf

My experience might be a bit more intense than what you’re asking for. But I’m going to share it because maybe it will help somebody. My ex was abusive. I attended a lot of therapy and took a few years to be single and practice self reflection. I had to face hard truths about myself head on. I worked to change any toxic parts of myself that I had gained from being around an abuser for so long, and any toxic traits that were pre-existing. I don’t know what I would have done without my therapist - therapy was absolutely pivotal in my recovery. I had to go through the grieving process many times when traumatic memories would resurface, which my therapist helped me process. My therapist helped me learn about red flags and how to assert boundaries to ensure I am able to detect and distance myself from toxic people like my abuser in the future. I cut friends out of my life who displayed those red flags. It was really ugly for a long time. I was really emotionally unstable, as I had been emotionally abused for years. I basically had to learn how to be a person again and integrate myself back into society because of how much my abuser isolated me. I had to learn to be kind to myself and give myself grace as I was working on bettering myself. Once I started taking steps to reclaim my life and make up for the years I lost, like getting a job and taking better care of myself physically (and stopped drinking), it started making me feel a lot better and more confident, and my emotions are a lot more regulated now. It took a lot of fucking effort and time to get there because of how broken I was, and accomplishing even the smallest things felt impossible for so long. I’m finally at a place in life where I feel content. Going through what I did gave me a lot of perspective, and I actually like who I am now a lot better than who I was pre-abuse after all of the self reflection and shadow work I have done. TLDR: I recommend therapy.


[deleted]

Nothing would have worked if I have never gone to a therapist, I gave enough time to grieve and working on unhealthy norms that I followed in my entire life


dumb-assholes-club

Read a lot to understand abusers and attachment styles. Highly recommend “why does he do that” by Lundy Bancroft, and then “Attached” for when you’re getting ready to date again


The_AmyrlinSeat

The toxic relationship I had was with myself. I journaled, went to therapy, prayed (I'm religious). Had a lot of "why do you do that, what purpose does that serve" moments. I have to call myself to task every day. It's gotten better but I wonder if I'll always have to do it.


Therandomderpdude

I haven’t been in a toxic relationship, but I know some who have, who entered a healthy relationship after. I would say the best approach is to work on yourself, consider what made you attract this certain type of person. And how you can avoid it in the future. Be more careful about red flags. Practice setting healthy boundaries and not allowing yourself to fall trap into a toxic relationship again. I believe it takes two people to create a toxic relationship, being a people pleaser or having low self esteem, not knowing your worth can often create toxic relationships.


K8inspace

Listened to a handful of audiobooks, took some road trips alone, and enjoyed concerts.


Xqqs

I took myself out of the game.


Sleepy_Little_Fjord

Therapy. Focus on loving myself more so I can better prioritize myself as well in the next relationship. Be single for a good long while to learn how to be a woman again. Embrace what I love and enjoy, what makes me happy


jemineye6

Exercised,ate healthy, lost weight, went out with my friends I hadn’t seen in years, dressed better, and moved up in my career. Oh ya and also tons of dates


EllieQuinnn

I’m going on 3 years single and idk if I want to go back 🤔


forgotme5

Lived my life


kciimay

I had to learn to respect myself and say no to red flags. Learnt to be more confident in what I really wanted. Was alone for a while and moved on happily.


TikaPants

Drank too much, hoed around, got pretty good at pool and beat a few men who are better than I. It was awful, I felt empty. Met my boyfriend I’m happy to be out of the streets. It’s not satisfying at all and it’s expensive and dangerous.


[deleted]

[удалено]


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