julietsierra
Posts: 1841
Joined: 9/26/2004 Status: offline
|
Heh. I don't see what being an emotional masochist has to do with this - the kind of emotional masochist that plays with and explores emotions that is - not the kind that involves themselves in hurt situation after hurt situation after hurt situation because they don't think. But anyway... At any rate, I don't give chances. Chances infer that the people I'd give them to are always "on probation" so to speak. Giving chances mean that I'm just looking for the next "fuck up." And when I'm looking for the next "fuck up" I generally find it. Frankly, I find that after being hurt once, giving a second chance generally winds up being something that never works out. That's mostly because, to me, chances infer that I've not really made a decision to stay in the relationship and mostly, I'm waiting for the excuse to walk away, even as I've claimed I don't want to do that. On the other hand, I'm all for resolution. Resolving an issue, to me, means that whatever the situation, big or small, the two people have talked through it, feel comfortable with how their conversation has turned out, reach some sort of agreement and individually, feel as if they can move forward with that person. At that point, each (individually) decides if they can continue in that relationship, given the information at hand, or if they can't. It's not about continuing IF the OTHER person does this or that. It's about deciding what I can manage. If I decide that I can continue in the relationship, then I do, and all the doubts, fears, etc that naturally come with whatever the situation was are dealt with as they arise. To me, this process happens both individually and as a unit. And it doesn't matter how big or how little the situation was that started this roller coaster. The process is the same: Discuss the situation. Make sure you tell the other person about your concerns, anger, hurt AND fears. Make sure you LISTEN to what's being told to you. Talk through any misunderstandings. Dig for deeper understanding. Stay calm. Don't insult (don't make the problem bigger than what it is by adding insults and all that to it). Stay on topic (Whatever situation you have does not include every hurt moment from the time you met till the moment of the conversation.) Work toward resolution, not determining who is "right." Don't demand apologies. Frankly, if the situation is that big, you're generally not really going to believe them anyway, so don't demand them, and don't offer them unless you mean it. If apologies are going to happen, let them happen naturally. Once EACH person feels they've been heard, and understood, then EACH makes the decision as to whether or not they can continue on in the relationship - not that they can stay IF the other person can do what they need. That will become evident over time. After that, expect some difficulties and fears to arise from time to time - early on, quite often, but as time passes, less and less (usually in the middle of the night.) Although many will have a problem with this, deal with those feelings ON YOUR OWN. Approach the relationship from the point of view that you've made a decision to continue on in it and do what you've decided. However, give yourself permission to walk away if you find that the resolution you thought you could live with is or becomes unworkable - note, I didn't say if the other person "fucks up". To me, deciding to stay in a relationship is a personal thing - not contingent on what the other person says or does. Ultimately, I have to make the decision whether or not to stay or go, so the responsibility falls on me to determine what I need and if I'm getting it or not. Ultimately, what I've found happens with the mindset that I'm in charge of my own decisions as to how I'm living my life is that I am MORE empowered, MORE dedicated, MORE in tune with the person I'm with and the relationship we have. And my "broken heart" becomes my responsibility to nurse back to health - not his, which I like very much. If things don't work out, I'm also not of the camp that calls ME the fool for what HE couldn't manage. To me, that person just didn't work out, but I gave it the best shot I could. And that's all anyone should expect from themselves, or anyone else for that matter. (Besides, it also saves time in the game of self-recrimination that everyone seems to go through when they break up.) Above all, what this approach seems to do is take away the weapon of trust. Trust can be a beautiful thing, but it can also be a weapon. How many have said "BUT I TRUSTED YOU!!" in the middle of an argument? It is a lament and a weapon when used this way - an accusation not an attempt to work through whatever has happened. When using the approach we use in our discussions, "trust" is never what's discussed. What IS discussed is the actual situation - without accusations of trust being broken. I mean seriously! Trust isn't the problem The situation is the problem. Deal with that honestly and effectively, and trust becomes a non-issue, a moot weapon. I'm simply deciding what *I* can do, and living my life accordingly. In our lives, "living my life accordingly," even after a potentially catastrophic situation has meant living it with him in it. He's going to be exactly who he is. I'm going to be exactly who I am and given that, no matter what has transpired, or what errors in judgment either of us have made, we've stayed together - not because of chance, but because we've decided that we still wanted to be together. But we've NEVER given each other a second chance. juliet
|