Attraction runs on a clock.
She flirted for weeks. Touched your arm. Found reasons to be alone with you. And you were careful. Respectful. Waiting for the right moment.
The moment had a shelf life. It expired around month two, and by the time you asked her out, she'd quietly filed you under "little brother."
One of the hardest lessons inside the 22 Rules: women rarely wait. Interest either grows or it decays, and nothing decays it faster than a man who never moves.
Make the move while she's still inventing reasons to be near you.
Three seconds. That's how long it took. Your shoes. Your posture. The way you held your drink. Whether you looked at the floor or looked at her.
She already filed you away. Interesting. Boring. Safe. Bold. Before you even opened your mouth.
Everything you say after that is just her confirming what she already decided.
So stop rehearsing lines. Fix the first three seconds. Stand tall. Look up. Smile like you mean it. Walk like you belong wherever you're standing.
The words come later. The impression comes first.
Some men need counseling to help get through the aftermath of one of these women depending on her depth of the disorder…For some reason I just keep having guilt issues that everything will be great with her new guy and maybe I was wrong,though I know it's not true and it's just another consequence of her messing with my head.
Next Monday you'll feel more confident. After the gym you'll feel more confident. After one more drink you'll feel more confident. After you get a better haircut, a better jacket, a better job.
You've been "getting ready" for two years.
She's standing ten feet away right now. She'll be gone in four minutes. No amount of preparation will manufacture the courage that only comes from moving your feet.
Walk over. Stumble through the first sentence. Let it be clumsy. Let it be imperfect. You will feel more alive in those ten seconds than you have all month.
As an independent observer, I have to point out you are doing an awful lot of bargaining for day 51 right now. You're having a full on two-way conversation with yourself in this thread. It's fine to get your thoughts out, but you keep repeating yourself over and over. It seems to all come back to trying to convince yourself you're okay by reminding yourself a hundred times, but always throwing in the caveat "if she reaches out, maybe X,Y,Z will happen." Get it in your head to FORGET ABOUT HER REACHING OUT. I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH FROM EXPERIENCE.In Italy. Back at the hotel after a bite to eat. It's late and I'm tired. This is when my thoughts get darkest. Not going to lie. I wouldn't describe today (or any day in the last week really) as rough. I don't have an underlying sadness which permeates through my body but I definitely get pangs of sorrow since this was meant to be "our holiday". It's momentary but it's triggered by little things. For example I walked into the hotel room, which I'm sleeping in alone as my mates had to book a separate hotel, and think "This is nice. She would have really liked it here". Then I force myself to reframe the situation in a positive light and move on.
I know it's a pointless exercise and I try and divert myself away from such thinking when I'm conscious of it but I just hope for a moment where she wakes up and sees this is her fault as well as mine. I know the whole "if only he/she woud fix [x] then everything would be perfect" is quite common post breakup so I don't allow it to bother me too much. Once, after one of my more severe episodes, I asked her why she even stuck around and she said it's because she "loved" me and hoped I would see the bad I'm doing and change.
Well guess what b*tch? I do see it and I am taking positive steps to change. How about you take your own goddamn advice! Wtf are you doing? Playing the victim and refusing to acknowledge the consequences of your own decisions like the good psycho you are.
Anyway you can't save these h*es. I've made a concious decision to wash my hands of her. I forgive myself for what I did to her and for all the negative behaviour that may or may not have contributed to her psychosis.
Her mental health is no longer my concern or responsibility. She either reaches the right conclusion on her own or not at all.
I've banned the lads from discussing my ex and told them to slap me in the face if they catch me doing it. This is my get away. 9 more days of pure chill. Let's enjoy it.
You have to be patient. I had dates with ten different women - only only one of whom I saw more than once - before I met the lady I am with now.Yea I've done all that,my area kinda sucks to meet people,but I did join match.com last night so hopefully something comes of that.that and the fact that I feel like a prisoner in my own house due to my ex turning my downstairs neighbors against me. Messed up she causes all this havoc then just happily moves on with her life to a new guy,then I hear she's getting a house...yea right her and her steady work habits lol.
I agree 100%. When you get to the point of forgetting about her reaching out you feel so much better. It takes time though to get there. Also @BlueAlpha1, these BPD types really screw with your mind terribly. Me, @BeTheChange and others have had the great misfortune to encounter these women. They are nasty and controlling and keep you going back for more. I don't know how they do it to us, we are intelligent and well-read men here, but they somehow do....As an independent observer, I have to point out you are doing an awful lot of bargaining for day 51 right now. You're having a full on two-way conversation with yourself in this thread. It's fine to get your thoughts out, but you keep repeating yourself over and over. It seems to all come back to trying to convince yourself you're okay by reminding yourself a hundred times, but always throwing in the caveat "if she reaches out, maybe X,Y,Z will happen." Get it in your head to FORGET ABOUT HER REACHING OUT. I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH FROM EXPERIENCE.
I'm not trying to be a dbag and you can get upset with me, but my last suggestion is to consider that the purpose of this thread isn't neccessarily to post extremely long updates every single day, but to progressively post less and less, and eventually get to a point where being okay means you don't need to use this thread as a crutch every day. Look at me. I occasionally come back here after a lucid dream and vent from frustration, but no more than every 30 days or so. Let's not kid ourselves, you're still very heavily invested in this girl right now.
They know what you want and what you need to hear. Dangling carrots. You can't really continue to be seduced by her words, it's the actions that do the talking.I agree 100%. When you get to the point of forgetting about her reaching out you feel so much better. It takes time though to get there. Also @BlueAlpha1, these BPD types really screw with your mind terribly. Me, @BeTheChange and others have had the great misfortune to encounter these women. They are nasty and controlling and keep you going back for more. I don't know how they do it to us, we are intelligent and well-read men here, but they somehow do....
^^^^^^^^^THIS^^^^^^^^^They know what you want and what you need to hear. Dangling carrots. You can't really continue to be seduced by her words, it's the actions that do the talking.
You asked her if she wanted to grab coffee. Then you asked if the time worked. Then you asked if the place was okay. Then you asked if she'd prefer tea.
Four questions. Four chances for her to say no. Four signals that you're terrified of making a decision.
Plan it. Pick the place. Pick the time. Tell her where to meet you. She'll either show up or she won't.
Either way, you look like a man instead of a scared little boy.
Yeah, they do a lot of lying. Silver tongue devils.^^^^^^^^^THIS^^^^^^^^^
Absolutely right. They talk in tones of honey, telling us how sorry they are, how much they love us and how it will be so different when we have worked it all out, that we'll be in a utopia of love, joy, happiness and sex for evermore. IT IS A FANTASY. Yes indeed, actions are what should be observed, not just their cheap and easy words.
I'm on Day 19 not day 51...must be confusing me with another poster. And as I've said before I'm acknowledging the possibility of her reaching out because this is her pattern. Not preparing for such eventualities would only leave me like a dear in the headlights and risk the possibility of falling back into a toxic relationship like many people in this thread have done. Understand that all attempts for her to reach out at the moment will be ignored. Following through with NC has never been a problem for me in the past. And now I know what I'm dealing with it makes it a thousand times easier.As an independent observer, I have to point out you are doing an awful lot of bargaining for day 51 right now. You're having a full on two-way conversation with yourself in this thread. It's fine to get your thoughts out, but you keep repeating yourself over and over. It seems to all come back to trying to convince yourself you're okay by reminding yourself a hundred times, but always throwing in the caveat "if she reaches out, maybe X,Y,Z will happen." Get it in your head to FORGET ABOUT HER REACHING OUT. I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH FROM EXPERIENCE.
I'm not trying to be a dbag and you can get upset with me, but my last suggestion is to consider that the purpose of this thread isn't neccessarily to post extremely long updates every single day, but to progressively post less and less, and eventually get to a point where being okay means you don't need to use this thread as a crutch every day. Look at me. I occasionally come back here after a lucid dream and vent from frustration, but no more than every 30 days or so. Let's not kid ourselves, you're still very heavily invested in this girl right now.
You can skip the expensive cars, the fancy clothes, and the endless gym selfies. Completely unnecessary.
I used to freeze the second a beautiful woman looked my way. Frustrated. Awkward. Watching other guys walk away with the girl while I stood there tongue-tied.
Then I discovered 22 simple rules that rewired my entire dating life. The anxiety vanished. Conversations flowed effortlessly. Women started chasing me for a change.
These rules trigger a woman's subconscious attraction switches. And you can start using them tonight.
Attractiveness and good intentions are never enough... Broken people are broken, and it is impossible for people to change. If he cannot take responsibility for what he does he has a problem.Day 2
I didn't exactly get done what I set in my mind to do, but I made it today. I'm happy that I went jogging, spent time with my family and spoke to some friends. I did wallow in sadness for a ridiculous amount of time.. But maybe this site can help keep me accountable. I need to bring my self esteem up, because my ex made it out that the problems in the relationship were all my fault, when it actually takes two to tango.
My nights are restless as the breakup was a month ago and we were together for more than a year. I didn't contact him today or yesterday. And I plan on taking care of myself a little more tomorrow.
I do want to get back with him, maybe because I still love him and he is my first love. I just..put all my love into him..and it hurts knowing that attractiveness and good intentions aren't enough. Like he wanted a perfect women.
I don't think I'll get him back, but I really want to increase my strength and self-esteem. I was happy before I met him, and I know I can get there in time.
You have idealized her in your memory... You see the truth and understand that your mind manufactured a image of her that was more idealized than she is.Day 31 or 32..just saw her driving by in the car I fixed for her which is the first trace of her I've seen since 1 month nc started,had a bunch of people in her car. I hate her and hope her car breaks down,she's not even good looking idk what I ever saw in her.
I agree,I'm coming out of the fog now,this morning was the first time since we broke up 2 months ago that I actually felt good instead of the usual agony and depression,jut sucks she's out all happy in a new life and I'm bored and alone allYou have idealized her in your memory... You see the truth and understand that your mind manufactured a image of her that was more idealized than she is.
Things will flip. You'll see.I agree,I'm coming out of the fog now,this morning was the first time since we broke up 2 months ago that I actually felt good instead of the usual agony and depression,jut sucks she's out all happy in a new life and I'm bored and alone all
The time
She asks it casually, mid-sip. And you feel the floor open up, because the honest answer is work, gym, and a couple shows you're half-watching.
Women rarely say this out loud, but a man with a life is attractive before he says a word. The guy who spent Saturday deep-sea fishing and came back with photos and a story — he walks in already interesting.
The "22 Rules" pushed me to build a life worth talking about. Turns out the fastest way to be interesting to women is to be interested in your own life first.