You finally did it. You ended it.
You left your abuser after years of manipulation, verbal assaults, control, and unkindness. Now it's time to face the stages of healing from emotional abuse.
You had the courage to say, “Enough is enough,” and make the excruciating decision to say goodbye to this person you once loved, maybe even still love in spite of everything.
Part of you feels exhilarated.
You are free — free from walking on eggshells, feeling anxious in your own home, spending night after night wondering what you should do.
Your life is now your own.
But another part of you, maybe even the bigger part, feels devastated. All of your hopes and dreams about this relationship have crumbled to dust.
Nothing is ever going to change with this person, and you know it.
Your psyche, your self-esteem, and even your sense of who you are have been shattered by the person who was supposed to love and cherish you the most.
Maybe you beat yourself up over how you could have fallen for this manipulator in the first place. Why didn't you see it? How could you have stayed so long?
Maybe your heart aches from missing him or her, remembering the good times you had together — good memories that suddenly monopolize your thoughts now that you've decided to end things.
There are so many emotions, thoughts, and memories swirling around in your head that you don't know what is real, what is true, and what is right for you.
