"it's cheaper to keep her," they say. Sometimes there is something good to come out of a separation. I finally went to a good shrink and he immediately diagnosed me as PTSD. Not fibromyalgia, not just depression or anxiety. All of the above. I got some shots to my back and I finally was able to walk straight. I got a good therapist who listened.
I finally came away with some sort of direction in my life. Lonely? Scared? You betcha.I survived though. It was not easy. I almost had to file bankruptcy. Drinking every day.
But I realized she was not worth the effort if she did not try to understand me. She was the one more angry than me. And she had no basis for the anger most of the time.
One wife later, I am so happy. She gets angry but when I see what happened, I get it. She accepts life as it is, not what it should be, or what I should be. I am me, that is all. She knows I get angry, and dammit I do. There is still that ass-chewin' sarge that's gotta have his say in things. But slowly I am getting better. I just walk away, or drive away, and imagine putting a bullet right above the nose, and I see the SOB's skull lift, and well, you know the view.
Funny, the first thing that shrink said about me was: You don't understand anger. What the f$ck do you mean I don't understand anger?
There you are. Patch it up. Don't beg. Just show your real feelings. Let me her know what's going on and let her know you have a plan. Women need to feel secure. What's your plan? Work on it. Any plan. And not just about your career. What are you planning to do to make your relationship better?
1. Fix me. Do what is right to really cope (you won't get rid of it) with the Beast.
2. Treat her like a queen. Save your explosions for another time and place.
3. Ask her what you can do to help her. Understand you better. Take out the garbage more often? Fix the leak in the shower? Remember Airborne: There is always ONE MORE THING TO DO.
4. It doesn't have to be a dinner with flowers. A kind word when you see her. How was work? Did you have a good day? Ask and mean it. Men do not talk to their wives. Even if it's small talk, which we hate, is valued by her. You are acknowledging her presence. Letting her into your life.
She'll come around. When she does, be sure and smile.