When He’s Still Emotionally Attached to His Ex
Just because he’s not legally married doesn’t mean he’s not still emotionally married.
Some men have a very difficult time emotionally letting go of an ex-wife, especially when the divorce was not their decision. Add children to the mix, and dating a guy like this will make you feel like a constant loosening third wheel. Yikes!
You would think that if a marriage ended due to:
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His wife cheating
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His wife having a full-on affair
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His wife leaving him for another man
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His wife completely falling out of love with him
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His wife having zero respect for him—and clearly demonstrating this
… that he would not only want to move on emotionally but also have very little to do with her. Unless, of course, they have children, in which case you’d expect him to want to keep the communication strictly about the kids.
Although that might sound great in theory, there are men who are either too ego-driven to accept their fault in the divorce or too insecure with themselves to believe they deserve better—or both. Great.
Both ego and insecurity can be self-destructive.
The ego of a man (and, frankly, the competitiveness) will convince him that he still wants a woman who has left him, even if he didn’t try hard enough to keep (or value) her when he had the chance. Once she “causes” the demise of her marriage—cheating—or leaving him, his ego will set in and determine that he still wants her.
Seriously?! His ego will convince him to do anything to win her back. What he fails to realize is that most women, when they emotionally move on—due to lack of feeling secure—are hard to obtain again.
Often, when a woman decides to have an affair—emotional or physical—it is because she is not feeling emotionally secure, financially secure or supported by her husband anymore. Once this breakdown has happened, winning her back is not always an option. However, the ego will convince him to try, even if it’s not about honestly wanting to keep her. Yikes!
There are men who cannot accept a woman being the one to end things. So when she does, it is a huge bruise to their ego, making it their mission to get back together with her just so that he can be the one to officially end things.
Of course, this will usually tend to backfire in his face. And if you are dating or in a relationship with a guy like this, it will make you feel like you are never good enough since he is always thinking and talking about his Ex.
Being emotionally tied to an ex does not happen with just ego-driven men.
Many insecure men cannot deal with the fact that a woman has ended the relationship because they did something wrong. When this happens, they will seek forgiveness in the form of being a doormat for their ex.
Men like this will also look for things they are doing wrong or “think” you’re unhappy with—assuming they will never be good enough for you since they weren’t good enough for their ex. Wonderful.
Regardless if he emotionally pushed her towards the decision to get divorced by his actions (or lack of), taking ownership for his part is just as hard for an ego-driven man as it is for a guy who has insecurity issues. Denial is an immature way of dealing with any problem, but many men are guilty of this.
What men don’t realize is that denial can also cause a man to be subconsciously emotionally invested in his ex-wife—who no longer wants him. If you are in denial, how do you expect to move forward with a new love?
Guess what? Women have to deal with issues all the time in order to be able to move on. Not dealing with your issues because you’re too insecure is not only exhausting, it ends up being a relationship killer.
Insecurities will only hold you back from having a successful, healthy relationship.
Men who are insecure don’t always acknowledge their faults in the demise of a relationship. Instead they will focus on what their ex-wife did—cheating or leaving—in order to make themselves feel better. Hmmm…
Here’s the problem, by not being honest with yourself—regarding what you did to push her away, you will continue to make the same mistake in future relationships. Also, by being dishonest, you are keeping yourself emotionally connected to your ex-wife.
Constantly worrying about “rocking her boat” and upsetting her or overly trying to please and appease her. Until you can own up to your mistakes and forgive yourself, energetically you will keep yourself tied to her.
Being in denial will make you a puppy dog to your ex and her needs.
Playing the victim will keep you the victim and that is an unattractive quality. Yikes! Manning up and taking ownership will help you not only emotionally move on, it will deter you from needing constant approval. Knowing you were part of the reason why your marriage ended means that you no longer need to seek validation and forgiveness from your ex-wife.
Love is a two way streak and problems that occur are rarely one sided. By recognizing your mistakes you can also recognize hers. If she cheated, left you for another man, etc., regardless of your actions that doesn’t justify or excuse hers.
There are tell-tale signs when a guy is still emotionally married to his ex:
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If you and his Ex are both in need of his support—he will choose her over you
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If he has kids, he won’t (or hardly) ever switch custody days with his Ex—for anything important having to do with you.
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He reminds you (frequently) that she is the mother of his children and will always be in his life (duh)—but that should not mean she trumps you!
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He will gladly let his Ex switch her custody days whenever she feels like it.
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He will leave work early to pick up the kids for his ex-wife on her days—but she will never reciprocate.
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If she calls him upset, he will stress out until he can call her back.
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He has zero backbone when she is around.
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In her presence he will be wanting to get her attention like a lost puppy.
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Even if she is in a relationship, living with a guy or remarried, he will still go out of his way to help her when she is sick, has surgery or is injured.
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Her plans will always trump your plans that you have made together.
As women, we really want to believe when a guy proclaims that he is over his ex, that he actually is, especially if it’s been years since the divorce. Unfortunately, men like this can be convincing because they are in denial themselves.
Most men don’t want to admit that they are still in-love, harboring feelings or care (to a high degree) about their Ex—and what their Ex thinks or feels about the them—when the reasons she finally left were due to falling out of love or cheating. He will think that by still harboring feelings for her, he is pathetic.
Is it pathetic to admit these feelings? Or is it more cowardly to be in a relationship with another woman knowing you are secretly pining for validation or in need of an ego boost? Either scenario, being with a guy like this is a lose-lose situation for you.
Ladies, being with a man who has not sorted out his true feelings and emotions (other than some therapy) regarding his ex-wife means that you will live in the shadows of her.Until he is open and willing—and actually deals with his unresolved feelings—he can never be the man who can one-hundred percent give himself to you. You deserve to be with a man who is emotionally ex-wife baggage free. Don’t allow yourself to come second in love.
This article is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge. Content is for informational or entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for personal counsel or professional advice in business, financial, legal, or technical matters.
Article originally posted on Pairedlife.com
