I don’t talk about this often, but I’ve had several abusive, toxic relationships. Five times I thought this one will be different. Five times I ignored the knot in my stomach. Five times I shrank myself so someone else could feel big. For years, I thought it was them. And yes—what they did was real. Nothing was good enough; the worst relationship was 20 years ago. He was overly nice and fun at first, but he got mean as time went on. Sometimes as I looked out the window while he drove, he accused me of looking at other men; also, he demanded me to stop seeing my mother and my friends; also he tried to keep my children away from me. This lasted 2.5 years, and I left him and went back to him 4 times. The truth that changed my life was this: I was choosing familiar pain because I didn’t believe I deserved anything better. I finally went to a counselor who helped me see it was abuse and not my fault, except for continuing to choose this pattern . So I finally left him and lived in a women’s shelter as. I pulled myself together by sitting with myself, being silent, and turning off the chatter in my mind, finally believing that i deserved better Has anyone had a similar situation?

Hi everyone! 👋🏻 It’s been pretty silent here, so I thought I`d gently open a conversation. If you feel comfortable sharing ✨: What brought you to this community? Did you find it randomly, or were you looking for something specific? And maybe… did you have a quiet hope that you`d find something here? No pressure at all - just happy to connect and wishing you a good week! 🌃

Hey there, Let me give you an answer to the question that might cross your mind: “What is a man doing in this group?” It’s a bit hard to explain, so I’ll keep it short: I am a man, but I never really felt like one in the traditional sense. I’ve always been very emotional and empathetic, but in our society, it’s still not considered “okay” for a man to be soft, expressive, or to cry. (I was a crybaby until mid-high school.) For a long time, I identified as female - privately, and only shared that with a few people. But even that didn’t fully fit. Over the years, I’ve worked a lot on my thoughts, identity, and emotions. I embraced what people might call my “feminine side,” and I found that I connect far better with women than with men - especially when it comes to topics like love, trust, self-improvement, art, beauty, and the future. Now I’m at peace with myself, partly thanks to a wonderful person (let’s call her F). She helped me accept who I am and appreciate the positive things I can bring to the world as a man. One of them is inspiring my male friends to be softer, kinder, and more open - and reminding my female friends that there are trustworthy men out there. Interestingly, F has lived the opposite experience: she always felt more like a man for her own reasons. She’s in a self-building phase right now, and I would really love to give back what she gave me. To help her embrace her feminine side and understand that she can be herself, no matter where she falls on the spectrum of gender. I feel that the knowledge shared in this group could help both me and F grow - and who knows, maybe some of my insights could be helpful for you too. Thank you so much for reading! And one last thing: This is a safe space for women, and I respect that fully. So if even one member feels uncomfortable with a man being here, I will leave without hesitation. No hard feelings at all. Have a lovely day! ✨ Alex

Carissa, Sharon, Samantha, and Daniella!

Is it with a boyfriend, husband, partner?