Survivors Journey Part 7 – Swimming in a sea of self-destruction

Listen up ladies! When you don’t receive the essential, emotional securities you need as a child (especially from your father,) odds are astoundingly high that you will enter into unhealthy relationships in a subconscious attempt to satisfy your psyche deficiencies. Your boundaries are skewed as the innate desire to acquire a sense of self-worth overrides your intellectual and/or moral compass. These relationships or encounters may satisfy an immediate need; however you will undoubtedly find yourself worse off in their aftermath as you resume your life as an emotional leech. Read that again – multiple times if you need to, until the truth penetrates your core. It’s important and warrants self-reflection no matter how much it hurts.

If you have been following my journey, you may recall that I did not reap a sense of self-worth or importance from my father. I never felt delighted in, nor was I made to feel like “Daddy’s Little Girl.” Given these facts, it is easy to understand why I was so fiercely swept up into the fairy-tale romance with my first husband, Mark. He romanced me. He delighted in me. He made me feel important. He painted the picture of a fairy-tale life together, and then he destroyed me with his verbal assaults and emotional abuse. Following my escape, I could not have been further down the “you suck” pole then I was, and I unknowingly set out on a life path to thwart the ever-present evil that lurked. You see, I had to combat that emotional beast, and I did so in ways that would merely leave me ravenous for more.

My 20’s were riddled reckless abandonment, and with them carried loneliness like nothing I ever knew. While my professional life soared, my emotional health continued to spiral out of control. If and when I did meet a sincere guy, I was certain to sabotage that relationship. After all, I wasn’t worthy, right? How could I ever enter into an authentic relationship with anyone when I had no authentic relationship with myself? The answer is you can’t. It is impossible. You cannot give of your true self to anyone unless you first identify who that person is.

Coors Light, social drug use, and honky-tonks became my best friend. Engulfed in an intoxicated state of alcohol or cocaine, I found the courage to make myself available to men. It was there I temporarily nourished the emotional leech by voluntarily subjecting myself to one night stands and/or unhealthy, short-term relationships. These relationships never originated with any level of authenticity, so the “fix” was ultimately provisional. When any amount of discontent entered into a romance, I was quick to take flight and resume my relentless pursuit to identify a sense of self-worth. It was a vicious and self-destructive cycle. All it took was a great fitting pair of starched Wrangler jeans, a button-down, long sleeve, tailored shirt, a pair of dusty cowboy boots, and a Stetson hat for me to identify my next target. Being from Texas, the picken’s were anything but slim as the Lone Star State is undoubtedly a “Cowboy Buffet.”

I developed control issues and took great pride in an “I don’t NEED you, I WANT you” mentality. I was quick to let others know they would not control me. I deprived myself of food for days on end to ensure my new-found figure would be maintained. I was brash, arrogant, overindulgent, and challenged any level of authority that came my way. I made sure the wrapper looked like that of a woman who was successful. I drove a Cadillac, flaunted wads of borrowed money, lived in an upscale section of town, and made sure my physical appearance was never less than perfect. I resisted developing relationships with other woman as they may see right through me and possibly challenge my behavior or look down on me. What relationships I did have (outside of intimacy) were with my professional subordinates as they cowered to my authoritative position. I was viewed by others as secure, confident, and really having it together. Since my life was based on lies and deception, I viewed myself as a chameleon and could easily adapt to any social environment – an actress of sorts. My time was primarily spent feverishly pursuing my career or feeding the leech. Yes, I was in control, or so it seemed. I was a lost soul who desperately wanted to be loved. Tell me I’m good enough. Tell me I’m worthy. Delight in me. Please, won’t you just love me? The problem was I didn’t love myself.

Who was I? At the core of my being, what made me tick? What were my motives for doing what I did? Was my life based on “intentionality,” or could it be that I was seemingly unfulfilled and continually “in search of?” These were questions I was not able to answer but more importantly did not want to ask. Understand there is great danger in asking those questions of yourself as you may find an inordinate amount of despair when the truth of who you are is revealed. If you’re honest with yourself and discover you are living a life that is repetitively “in search of,” I would caution you to put the brakes on and take a look within. Chances are you’ll find there is crucial work that needs to be done. I did. That’s why I’m here, and if you’ve been faithfully following my journey that may be why you’re here too. The good news is we are in it together. You are not alone.

So who am I? At the core of my being, what makes me tick? What are my motives for doing what I do? Is my life based on “intentionality” or “in search of?” First and foremost I am a child of God who recognizes He has a purpose for my life; a purpose which I am willing to step outside of my comfort zone in order for Him to work in and through me. I am a fearless warrior in pursuit of transformation so I can be used in the manner in which He intends me to be. I walk in faith knowing that I have been called to share my life experiences with the hope of reaching out to others who are in need of hearing the message. I am a woman who no longer seeks external validation through self-destructive behaviors. I am a loving wife, mother and daughter who is blessed beyond measure to be cherished as I am. I can be over analytical at times, but that comes from being married to an engineer! I am a perfectionist when it comes to certain aspects of my life, yet not others. I am riddled with displaced fear and insecurity but take great pride in the strides I am making to overcome these lies. I am worthy. I am important. I am beautiful. I am opening myself up to vulnerability so that I can not only receive true love but also give it. I am in search of intentionality; in that I find inner peace. While it is true that I fell victim to  a life of self-destructive behaviors in the aftermath of an abusive marriage and absentee father, I am intentionally choosing to step away from the lies that were told and to finally deposit the truth. I am a survivor, and I am on a journey toward recovery.

I’m glad you’re here with me. I know I’m not alone.

Survivors Journey

Do we really have character flaws? I don’t think so. I prefer to coin them as behavioral flaws. Specifically, learned behaviors. Generally speaking, some of our behaviors are developed by mirroring what we witness in our youth, and others we develop when faced with various circumstances throughout life in an attempt to self-protect.

As defined by Wikipedia, a character flaw is, “the creation and criticism of fictional works, a character flaw is a limitation, imperfection, problem, phobia, or deficiency present in a character who may be otherwise very functional. The flaw can be a problem that directly affects the character’s actions and abilities, such as a violent temper. Alternatively, it can be a simple foible or personality defect, which affects the character’s motives and social interactions, but little else.”

On the other end of the spectrum, a behavioral flaw (abnormality) is defined as, ” in the vivid sense of something deviating from the normal or differing from the typical (such as an aberration), is a subjectively defined behavioral characteristic, assigned to those with rare or dysfunctional conditions.” I don’t know about you, but my life is plagued with bouts of dysfunction and trauma.

The controversial word for me is “fictional.” Life is not fictional. I am not fictional. I am real. I am alive. I am living, and I am struggling. Not every day mind you, but life is a struggle. I believe the ultimate goal would be to find ourselves full of peace and contentment as evening’s slumberous escape approaches. No, if I were fictional, that which I could create, the story of my life would read very differently. I guess it would be the “white picket fence” version. But that’s not reality, is it?

White picket fence lives are anything but normal. I would gander to say you could spend a lifetime searching for a bona fide example of such only to find your efforts were merely in vain. If white picket fence lives were reality, there would be no Hollywood. Seriously, how exciting would a movie be if it were sappy sweet and had no conflict? No romantic ending or tragedy to triumph? Unfortunately, that would be a rather boring cinematic experience. Yet when we find ourselves in the midst of real-life tragedy, triumph is the least of our immediate focus. I would consider survival to be at the forefront of our thoughts, and it is amid the survival mode that our behavioral flaws generally cement themselves to the very core of our being.

In March of this year, I came to realize that I’m up to my neck in concrete, aka behavioral flaws. Shall I continue to sink, or will I identify a giant sledge hammer and begin to break down this solid wall of cement that has fictitiously protected me for so long?

In the coming weeks, months, years….whatever it takes, I’ve decided to filet myself to you, the reader, as my emotional journey toward identifying, admitting, and addressing my behavioral flaws unfold. Several of my very personal, life issues will be gut-wrenching to revisit, but I realize there is no way to truly move forward in becoming the woman God intends for me to be unless I am willing to do the work.

If you are a woman who has been a victim of parental abandonment and struggle with abandonment issues and/or self-worth, survived molestation by a family member or church leader, domestic violence, rape, divorce, undergone an abortion, continually find yourself emotionally detached and afraid of being hurt, been promiscuous, lived a life full of lies and deceit in an attempt to garner love, been involved with a married man, suffered addiction to mask your feelings, denied yourself the right to feel by stuffing with food, cigarettes, or alcohol, or you find yourself in a constant state of trying to control nearly every essence of your out-of-control life, then we have something in common. Yes, I’ve survived every one of these tragedies, lifestyles, and deplorable choices and am now faced with the daunting task of dealing with the behavioral flaws that have followed in my effort to self-protect.

What a mess, huh? But the way I look at it, I can choose to dive in and do the work by dealing with the subconscious, negative behaviors that adversely effect my life, or I can continue to swim in a cesspool of fear and disconnect that prevent me from living the abundant life God has given me. With great trepidation and a slice of optimistic anticipation, I am choosing to dive in. I’m not sure I’m ready to swing a sledge hammer just yet, but the pointed end of a pick ax is a start. I invite you to share in my journey, and maybe you, too, will begin to identify then chip away at some of your self-protective, yet fictitious walls.

The good news is, you’re not alone.