When Your Ex Starts Dating Someone Else

Today I found out that my ex, the one that you really never get over kind of ex, is dating someone new. I know these things happen, are supposed to, and that we broke up (again and again) for a reason but that punch in the gut, shaking with anxiety, weak, sad feeling still hit me. And it stayed with me for hours.

I began to get frustrated with myself, wanting to get this intense, incredibly unpleasant feeling away from me, but nothing I tried seem to work for very long. Remembering why we broke up, the hard times, distracting, trying to convince myself I'd be like totally cool if I saw them together and we should all be buddies, contemplating who she is and trying figure that out but no, no no no I will not be that ex: none of this really helped.

Despite the shaking and weak feeling I still went to the gym - in a very poor mood mind you. I was having one of those days where the little things that go wrong become one big thing (like forgetting my wallet in my car at FedEx and then racing out to get it only to get caught on the door handle and jerked back hitting myself and spilling everything out of my purse) and I went to the gym angry.

I got up on that damn StairMaster and did 12 minutes (that's a record mind you) and then 30 minutes of cardio before a quick stretch and then blow dried the sweat out of my hair before therapy. I sweat out most of my poor choices from the weekend I think. It was really attractive. Anyway...

Therapy.

It did it's job per usual. And basically after me blabbing on about whatever, my therapist pulling me back out of my head and asking me to "describe what's coming up"then me getting ridiculously mad and defensive (felt like a typical I'm a kid that's fucked up and a stereotypical therapy case and she can see right through me and my bullshit) and then crying with that bear I always talk about - I had clarity.

When I held Teddy (my big giant therapy teddy bear-he wears a silk green bow) I tried to do that feeling crap. I ended up picturing myself talking to my ex and saying something along the lines of:

"If you move on from me that's just another person that's left me. You've found someone better, and therefore I am less than. I am never good enough, and I will never be good enough. At one point you helped me believe differently. It is the best feeling in the world to be someone's someone. To have them love you unconditionally. To know you matter as much to them as they do you. But if I really actually amounted to anything, was really as pretty, smart, funny, talented as you say there's no way you'd be into someone else. You'd chose someone else over me. (and yes I know this is silly as it's very unfair to want someone who isn't right for you to only love you and no one else) But clearly I'm nothing.

I cannot matter unless you tell me I matter, make me feel like I matter. I cannot do this for myself and I need someone, I need you, to do that for me."

And that's when it hit me. 
I know this is one of my biggest issues. Not mattering. Lack of confidence. Always believing I am not good enough and not cool enough and not attractive enough. The fear of being alone is so strong. But it was just nice to figure out why I had that fight or flight response (it was flight), because this is just digging up old shit from my past. It's just the biggest trigger I can have and it's happening with someone I still love.

So that sucks.

But my therapist also pointed out that there are probably a lot of people that do help me feel like I matter, it's just that I'm chasing / hanging out with the wrong people who don't make me feel that way. I push away the ones that do because it's uncomfortable to feel that love, hear those compliments but then again it's what I fucking crave.

AND I KNOW. I'm supposed to love myself and all that shit and be able to give the feeling I got from him to myself but ya know what that's really fucking hard and if I could do it that easily I would and I wouldn't be writing about this.

It's 23? I believe days until Paradiso and after having a breakdown a day about my body image and how much I hate the way I look I'm really going to be on my shit about the gym, my food, the booze and such things.

• I've made a calendar where I can track my accomplishments
• Set reminders in my calendar of my goals and why I have them
• I am determined to write in here every day
• Already from my posts I've received support to continue with my goals / and help with personal things (so thank you)
• I am making a "So You Think You Don't Want To Workout" List where I have to look at, read, listen to each thing on the list before I can decide happy hour is a better idea
• I'm trying to stop snacking while cooking
• I am going to a support group for codependency 
• I am saying fuck it and spending money on a gym membership that's close to home (the one my work pays for is 30 minutes from my apartment and not ideal on weekends)
• Doing yoga again every morning

I know that most of my issues aren't because of what I look like but working out, eating better, drinking less will most certainly help ease the pain that my issues cause.

So ya that's it.