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zorro94 Offline OP
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I am looking for some help in owning my own emotions. I tend to react to situations and that controls me emotions. My emotions always seem to be a reaction to what someone does to me. If my WH is nice to me then I am happy. If he hurts my feelings I am sad. If he does something I don't like I am mad.

I really hate being this way and I want to learn how to change. I want to be more in control of my emotions. I want to stop being mad and sad all the time.

Does anyone else experience this and how do you own your own emotions.

Any help would be appreciated!


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Lost:

There is a difference between FEELING an emotion and how it is EXRESSED. Do you understand that distinction?

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If my WH is nice to me then I am happy. If he hurts my feelings I am sad. If he does something I don't like I am mad.


Your FEELINGS in reaction to these events are NORMAL. As you describe these situations above, it seems to me the most people would react the same way.

The difference is in how the emotions are expressed.

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I want to be more in control of my emotions. I want to stop being mad and sad all the time.


Maybe you have good reason to be MAD AND SAD ALL THE TIME. Feelings just ARE. The question is: How are you EXPRESSING these EMOTIONS? Are you OUT OF CONTROL as you say? You have not indicated how you are OUT OF CONTROL. Out of control in my mind would mean throwing things, yelling, sobbing incessantly, etc. Are you doing this, Lost?


I made it happen..a joyful life..filled with peace, contentment, happiness and fabulocity.
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Well, you're not alone, LITC. I remember being at the mercy of my emotions, living from them, as well. Felt like a victim all the time...and I was...given I didn't know I had a choice to act, not react.

That reacting was a choice.

Owning our emotions means knowing what they are, why we have them and not spending our waking hours trying to manage them.

First, I acknowledged they were mine...all mine...which helped because of my previous belief others made me have them. See? You're so not alone.

<img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Second, I believed that emotions were information...they are signals...straight from my own beliefs. No wonder I felt like they were out of control...instead of getting the information, I was trying to stuff information down, throw it out, change it through my desire of what NOT to feel.

(I think you can see how knowing they are your own emotions, believing they are valid, that they are information to you about you goes a long way in how you will feel any given moment...if the information is being accepted and understood, the intensity of the emotion greatly lessens, in my experience.)

Then I learned that stating what I feel, acknowleding the information to myself and DH, which is key to being open and honest (O&H...using "I" statements), instead of "acting them out"...through body language, AO's, DJs, etc...really helped me know they were under my control...as long as I listened, heard.

I had to learn what were the emotions I was experiencing...why did I feel happy when DH did/said something I wanted him to? Hmmm...well, I can tell you that any expectation I have, positive or negative, when proved right used to give me a kick...a validation...so "getting what I expected" was more important to me than "getting what I want."

Most of the happy stuff would come from DH complying with the way I wanted to be loved...which thrilled me to happy when he did (I then felt loved), and broke me to pieces when he withheld or chose not to...getting the reality check that he may be loving me full out, and me not feeling or seeing it was a great wake up call. I experienced the extremes of emotions because of my perception NOT reality. I learned we choose our perception. When we perceive...which goes into our beliefs...we are not being considered, accepted, valued, admired or appreciated...we will experience the signals for those...resentment, anger, pain, fear and sadness.

However, when inside we do not consider, accept, value, admire or appreciate OURSELVES, these signals can play 24/7...and if you're going through an outside source (DH) to get to your own self, that's a trip insuring you'll have mixed signals...because of mixed beliefs.

Learning all the emotions (like 150 of them) helps to identify what exactly you're feeling...anger is a secondary emotion...there is a primary one...maybe pain? Maybe fear?

Could your anger when your H doesn't make you feel loved (I'm shuddering at that and I believe you already know he cannot MAKE you do anything)...be the fear first, jumping up, fearing he does not love you, that you cannot be loved, that you chose wrong...a lot of stuff we have automatically in our head which triggers fears, then anger...and some of the anger can be "He sure better love me! The nerve!" or "He KNOWS what I want and he isn't doing it on purpose because he hates me"...now, is DH making? Naw...our own stuff, under our own radar...is making us feel false information from false beliefs.

Where does that all go? Get your beliefs set...choose them wisely, from your adult experience...

Believe that you are whole, complete, marvelously made; lovable before a word is spoken or an action taken. You are.

Believe you have automatic behaviors you can change...just not automatically...that this process is true maturity, the application of wisdom (which you already have) and know that you are separate and equal to everyone else on the planet.

Because you are.

Sit with your emotions...hear the information and do not act from information coming from you, about your beliefs...which is like playing telephone with what you truly act from...the source...what you believe, directly. Act don't react.

Respond after getting the information, understanding it, and if it's fear-based, hold those fears lovingly, and act to your code, anyway.

You can do this. A lot of the highs and lows you are experiencing are conditioned through decades of living...from not knowing you choose your thoughts, feelings, beliefs, perspectives and perceptions...that you are powerful, real...without anyone else knowing you, you exist, are significant...I call this a lot of noise in us...from us, about us...and we keep looking outward at others to show us clearly who we are because of the noise and mess inside. Cleaning up is as simple as knowing you may have a mess right now but cannot be one.

Your human power and choice remain...as well as your human limits.

LA

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Mimi and LA thank you!

I do feel like I am justified for feeling the way I do because of the way I have been treated, but I don't want to feel this way.

I do feel like a victim to my emotions because I react. I am not a yeller or screamer or thrower, but I do tend to become very quiet and not talk when I am mad. When I finally say something it comes out all wrong and accusatory.

I have a hard time using I statements. That is something I need to work on. I also have a hard time getting over things. I have worked on that, but still tend to feel sad or mad for a longer time than I should.

I think the main problem is that I seem to rely on my WH to make me happy. I hate being that way. If he treats me nice then I am happy, if he treats me bad(through his actions) then I am sad and lately I am mad.

He is a WH still but living at home. There is no OW right now, but he will not commit to our marriage. This has been going on for over a year now. He comes home every night, but is just not the man I married any more. I know that it is my fault for staying with him and holding onto my marriage. I stay for my children and because of the circumstances right now. And because I do really love him and can't let go of the person that he used to be. I keep hoping something will change.

Everything he does gets a reaction out of me. I think fear must be the underlying of everything. Fear of him leaving me, fear of losing my family, fear of the unknown.

I know this must all sound crazy.

I "hear" what you are saying LA, I am just having a hard time processing it. I need to believe in myself. I am who I am and that's not a bad person. I just need to be comfortable with myself. Only I can make ME happy...if only I could really believe that.
<img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />


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Lost:

Do you think that you are depressed? I don't mean just sad. I mean clinically depressed. It would be understandable given your situation of living a life of being treated so badly by your H.

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I think the main problem is that I seem to rely on my WH to make me happy. I hate being that way. If he treats me nice then I am happy, if he treats me bad(through his actions) then I am sad and lately I am mad.


I used to be like you, Lost. Then, my H left me emotionally and then physically for the OW. I learned how to make myself happy... by just doing little things that added up. What ACTIVITIES lift your mood? It takes PRACTICE to LEARN how to do this once you have been dependent on your husband for so long.

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think fear must be the underlying of everything. Fear of him leaving me, fear of losing my family, fear of the unknown.


You notice above that I said that my H left me EMOTIONALLY first..before I discovered the A. I also felt the FEAR. FEAR OF ABANDONMENT is REAL and can be VERY PAINFUL. It is a TERRIFYING FEELING. I'm thankful that it is finally gone away for me. I'm VALIDATING this feeling for you, Loving.

Aren't you feeling like your H has already left you, EMOTIONALLY?

I'll check back later..gotta run...


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How can you, by yourself, show affection, have intimate conversation, have sex, and be your own recreational companion?


I think this is unintentionally insulting & disrespectful to every unmarried or widowed person who DARES to be a happy & functional human being who counts their BLESSINGS every day instead of counting the blessings they do NOT have

Pep

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DC - that is the way I feel also, a marriage is about meeting each others emotional needs. That is not happening in this marriage and that makes me sad because we were so perfect for so long.

Mimi - My husband has left the marriage emotionally. It is a sad, lonely feeling.

I am having a hard time finding ME. I homeschool my youngest son so I can't get a job during the day. I have 2 sons that play hockey that I have to take to practice every night so I can't work nights. What I really need is a job I can do from home with some flexibility, but can't find that.

Maybe I do have a fear of abandonment. I don't feel like I am depressed, just unhappy. What's the difference? I'm not sure.

I guess I need to figure out how to make ME happy without anyone else being involved. My kids make me happy, I love being a Mom. I have always loved being a wife also. Now, I need to do something for ME. Find something that makes ME happy.

I am hoping once I find those things that make me happy, then my emotions will become less extreme and I will be able to state my feelings about a situation using I statements and then move on, not dwell.

I appreciate all the input on this thread. I have never been good at putting myself first. That is how my WH is and I never wanted to be like that. I am sure there is a way to do that without being selfish.


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I guess I need to figure out how to make ME happy without anyone else being involved


I think this is TRUE for all of us.

I learned this the hard way. Most of us here did...

As Pep indicated, infidelity is not the only way that we can lose our spouses and we need to learn the SKILLS to go on...

A great book is FEELING GOOD by David Burns. He focuses on the SKILLS necessary to be HAPPY...

Having been depressed... even more my H's affair, it involves maintaining a SAD MOOD day in and day out...even when in the midst of HAPPY TIMES...sunny days seem cloudy...I'm not going there anymore..but you may know what I mean....

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I appreciate all the input on this thread. I have never been good at putting myself first. That is how my WH is and I never wanted to be like that. I am sure there is a way to do that without being selfish.


This is not about putting yourself FIRST. This is about learning to LOVE YOURSELF. I learned that NO ONE can LOVE YOU, not even your H, as much as you can LOVE YOURSELF.

And you know what? Since I've gained this SENSE OF SELF, once I learned to stick up for myself and two walk on my own two feet, MY H FINDS ME TO BE MORE ATTRACTIVE!!!! He has told me that he couldn't RESPECT me when I didn't RESPECT myself!!! This has been the GOOD PART of my H's INFIDELITY. I FOUND MYSELF!!!

I learned that I can make it on my own without him. I don't choose to but I know that I CAN!!!


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Everyday, at my work, I meet people who are caretakers for their chronically ill spouse

these people often lead fulfilled (albeit stressful) lives

without many of their own needs being filled by their spouse

it's a characteristic called resiliency

ability to adjust or recover from an unwanted change or a bad run of luck

we are not sucklings at the marriage breast hungry & begging for our next meal

we are not put on this earth to have our needs met as if we were helpless whenever our needs go unmet

we can rise above ourselves
rise to the challenge
pull out deeper resources than we knew we had

Pep

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THANKS for your post, Pep!!

From this woman who is working hard to develop resiliency....


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THANKS for your post, Pep!!

From this woman who is working hard to develop resiliency....

Mimi ... this was very good

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This is not about putting yourself FIRST. This is about learning to LOVE YOURSELF


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Amen, Pep (but don't eat at Fu King anymore !) !

Dear LostInTheCity,

I so know what you mean.
I have only one solution - baby steps, but keep them going in the right direction.
Most of the "damage" is done when we are children and have little to say about how we are raised & conditioned.
This conditionings are very deep and cannot just be changed because we would wish them to.
But that doesn't mean we shouldn't.
Sorta like having to diet down 100 pounds.
Saying "Oh, it's so hard, I can't do this" won't get you anywhere.
Doing stupid crash diets doesn't either.
Getting good help and changing "your ways" is the way to go.
Same for any other behavior, such as being scared to stand up for yourself.

Are you in IC ?

I'm asking because for a long time I felt I shouldn't bother others with my problems and didn't really get into personal counseling.
I am now and it's helping a lot.

And yes - I'm single (now) - and I just feel all my strength flowing back to me.
Filling EN's is something you can do on many levels (except sex, of course) outside of a relationship with a partner.
Taking care of yourself is the ultimate EN-filling...
Might not always be that easy..
But then again, in a M we should also be strong enough to weather periods where our partners are not able to fill our EN's.


[color:"purple"]When we lose sight of the well being of others, it is like losing sight in one eye. (the Dalai Lama)[/color]
The Neutral Zone Theory
Doing the right thing vs being a good boy/girl
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that is different from one spouse chooses not to show care. The lack of care due to circumstances is different from the lack of care due to choice.

yes that is true

and if you want to buy bread, don't keep going to the hardware store demanding bread

you know after years of experiencing breadlessness there is NO BREAD to be had there, Cherished !!!!

stop asking/begging/demanding bread from ... the man who only has tools & never has bread

he is not the man who is going to provide you with bread

take it or leave it
he is who he is

your head must hurt from trying to change him for so many years

Pep

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zorro94 Offline OP
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Thank you so much everyone! This is exactly what I was looking for.

Mimi - Learning to LOVE MYSELF...Brilliant! I love how you put that. It's not about putting myself first, it's about loving myself. I need to embrace the person that I am.

Pep - RESILIENCY...the ability to adjust or recover from an unwanted change or bad run of luck...PERFECT! That's it, isn't it?

I've always thought of myself as resilient. We have moved so much and had to adjust to change that I thought I was pretty resilient. I have just never had to adjust to these changes alone. It has always been a family effort. I need to learn how to be resilient by myself and for myself.

I think my problem is that I have been so intertwined in my marriage that I have lost the individual that I am.

I am going to take baby steps and find ME.

I hope that others read this thread because there is some very good stuff here from some very smart people!

Thank you!


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Dear Lost in the City:

I just had to react to your post. Your feelings, fears and emotions seem to be EXACTlY the same as mine. So no, you're not alone.

I too, think my underlying emotion is fear, I too need to learn to love myself..

Thanks for posting this and thanks, everybody, for responding.

V


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Hi Lost!
Its nice to see you posting!!! <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
I can so identify w/ whats been posted here. It is so easy to get obcessed w/ the unfixable...uncontrollable moods of WS/FWS. It deflects the focus off ourselves. I voluntarily gave up my identity when I became a Mom....wanted to be the "perfect" Mom....I did alot of self-sacrificing and was quite the martyr. Well now I figured out there is no such thing as "perfect". I didn't just self sacrifice I also sacrificed my marriage....didn't spend enough time being a partner, lover w/ my H. I didn't see it. We gave up date night because we didn't want to put the kids w/ a sitter. I worked weekends so we didn't have to put the kids in day care. I could go on and on. At the time I didn't think I was hurting the marriage I just thought its what you do. The marriage will take care of itself....WRONG!

So now I have to rediscover myself. Define my personal goals. Take care of myself. Figure what I enjoy and what makes me happy. Love myself. Ya know it should be easy but its not. When you are use to putting yourself at the bottom of the priority list its not easy to jump to the top. What I use....especially when things are stressful or I find myself obcessing about FWH..... www.flylady.net (fly=finally loving yourself) Its all about babysteps, organizing and prioritizing your home and your life. There are weekly pampering missions....It talks about perfectionism and forgiving yourself for not being perfect, it helps you develop daily routines 15 minutes at a time. It has gotten me through days I thought I wouldn't be able to function. Its a "how to" ....love yourself. <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

You're worth it! ((((Lost)))) keep posting!

ETA: They even have tips for home schooling!

Last edited by ChaCha; 09/27/06 02:43 PM.

aka-confused42
BS-45 me
WH-42
DS-14 & DD-12
together 21 yrs, married 18.5yrs
"I love you but not IN love with you" speech 6/3/04
D-Day 2/25/05; WH moved out 3/15/05 & back too soon 3/22/05...He left again 5/8/06
5/25/06 Plan B.....NC letter 6/18/06
Recovery finally began Jan 2007
We are IN love again!!!Sept 2007

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