I've been wanting to post here for ages. I've been reading all your posts and just want to say I envy you all. I'm coming up to six years in my relationship and have been deeply unhappy for nearly a year - things really came to a head when we moved in together last year. I feel like I've had almost an awakening of sorts - realising things about myself, like how I've been in awful, toxic relationships back to back for years and that I can pretty much attribute it to trauma/not knowing my worth. Realising that most men have little to no basic life skills and are basically just looking for a second mum.
I can't believe some of the
tit I've put up with over the years from men - cheating, lying, emotional and verbal abuse etc etc. The relationship I'm in is marginally better and there have definitely been good times but at the moment I am unhappy and find myself longing to be alone, have my own place, my freedom, noone to clean up after (or complain about things like dirty baseboards etc without ever so much as attempting to do anything about it themselves), to travel and not be tied down, and just the space to really work on myself, mentally, emotionally, physically. I have zero savings at the moment and can't afford my own place so I'm stuck for now...
Also I can so relate to the friends who seem to have had complete lobotomies over men. One of my friends has been with her boyfriend for around 3 years now? She got pregnant last year (it was an unplanned pregnancy) and then moved to the city he lives in, "they" bought a house (rather, HE bought the house off a family member - as far as I'm aware her name isn't even on the mortgage, she gave some weird excuse about how they wanted to keep the house in the family, so she's essentially renting from him even though she's the mother of his child?) all within a matter of months. She doesn't know anyone there except for his friends and family and often admits how lonely she feels. I don't see him giving up his life for her. Another friend has been seeing someone for a few months and while I've met him and he seems nice enough, he's so wishy-washy and won't say they're girlfriend and boyfriend even though they are? It's made her feel really
tit and insecure. Also I've noticed that she's started to take on his interests - e.g., he's a photographer and now she's suddenly "into photography" too and posting all these artsy photos on Instagram. Lol. Just be yourself!! All of this to say that I've found myself questioning WHY it's so normalised to accept this for ourselves, why we give up so much of ourselves and our lives for men, the same creatures who usually can't even be arsed to wipe away their skid marks in the toilet.
Sorry for this massive incoherent rant and sorry to hijack this thread when I'm not actually single lol - been thinking about all of this a lot lately. I could go on and on but I'll spare you all
Keep being your fabulous selves