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I'm The Problem

  • Post starter Post starter Kb3
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Kb3

At the root of it all is hatred for myself. I am selfish, I am spoiled, I am attention seeking. I do nothing for anyone which does not have an ulterior motive to help myself.

I am lazy, self centered and manipulative. If I can get someone else to do the work for me, I let them.

I have arrived at age 44 with no job qualifications despite an expensive education. I have no confidence to get a job, or that I will be able to get along with the people that I would work with. I am totally dependent on my husband.

I have three kids which I have neither the energy or motivation to support emotionally in a consistent way. The basics get done, but that is all. They are growing up learning that I am unpredictable, sad, angry and not to be relied upon.

My husband married me when I had a successful job, friends and a future. Now I am nothing more than an expensive burden which he must wonder when he can set down.

I spend the nights panicking about how I am doing everything wrong, half the day defensive, and the other half depressed. Despite almost two decades of therapy and enough psychiatric medication to numb an army, I am no better. I always seem to fall back down into the same hole.

My grandfather sexually abused me when I was three. Growing up he and my father told me that I would never be good enough, that I am useless. They were right, and I am tired of trying to prove them wrong. I just want to lie down and sulk for the rest of my life.

Tomorrow or even later today I will feel better and hate myself for writing the words that I just did. I will tell myself that it's not really this way and that I was weak to give in and admit it. Admitting makes it real, and people will point and stare at the dirty, ruined girl; my secret will be out, never to be retracted. I won't have my safe lie to hide in anymore.

Besides, I have no right to blame other people for my character flaws, and it wasn't even that bad compared to what other people go through. Why can't I just get over it?
 
You certainly do a nice job of describing the passing intrusive thoughts and feelings. You are not the problem. Your Grandfather and your Dad were the problem. You sound like a very competent person who did very well, but now you have the challenge of learning to continue to be successful with the intrusive thoughts and feelings intruding. You already recognize the mood (the set of intrusive thoughts and feelings) will pass. That's a huge step in learning to live with PTSD. The next step is to learn to behave as you would if you weren't having those feelings while they are passing. You may not feel like the wonderful person you are, but you can still act like her. It takes a lot of practice, but it gets easier. A low dose of meds can help with the anxiety symptoms. High doses and multiple meds can create more problems than they solve. The primary tool is self-talk. Focus on your behavior, not the intrusive thoughts and feelings, and do what you would be doing if the intrusive thoughts and feelings weren't there. It will seem impossible at first, but it's not only possible, it's the next big step in learning to live with PTSD.

Welcome to the forum :)

Ted
 
I agree with ted, and have heard similar recommendations given following a crisis/ grief/ shock, etc: how do you carry on? Do what you would done next had it not occurred.
 
Thanks Ted, Junebug and James. I'm actually not new to the forum, just a slow learner.

It's been a bad few days and my composure is really slipping. It doesn't bother me when I am able to "act as if" and keep the bad feelings to myself, but when I start freaking out on my kids the self loathing spiral takes on a turbo charged pace. It rips my heart to shreds thinking that I might be traumatising them because I can't get my act together. I can't describe the way I hate myself when I do it. The fact that it seems to come out of nowhere doesn't help either.

Right now I'm going to take your advice Ted and pretend that I am a mom who is capable of getting through the next few hours without upsetting her children, and then I'm going to go to bed and tell myself to stop scaring myself. Tomorrow morning I'm going to wake up and it will be a new day. Maybe the weather will be different.

Thank you.
 
Besides, I have no right to blame other people for my character flaws, and it wasn't even that bad compared to what other people go through. Why can't I just get over it?

It wasn't that bad. Why do we marginalise our pain? I don't deserve help. It's all my fault. A 3 year old has no more control over her world than a gold fish. They did this to you, and now it is time to regain your life and show them who really won. You are a human being, and you deserve better. And your kids deserve better too, so don't stop till you're out of this. Show your kids what it means to be brave and fight for yourself. You deserve to be supported by your husband until you find your feet again. You are not a burden. And it sounds like he doesn't think you are anyways. He's still there. Don't push him away.
 
Just wanted to say that I could have written pretty much all of what Eat has said :(

I feel in that same hole too, perhaps we could console ourselves that we are not alone?

Dont know what else to say - sorry :(
 
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I'm sorry that you're having this problem too Roline and I hope that we can both find our way out. Thanks for letting me know that I'm not alone.
 
Hi Roline, yes thanks. Today was easier.

Hope you're ok too.
 
Really pleased today was a little easier :)

Today for me has been :poop: . I'm seeing the T tomorrow so hopefully she might be able to help and I might get some sleep :rolleyes:. Hopefully then things will seem better

Take care x
 
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