I am new to this forum and I would like some help. I’m in a relationship for 20 years with a woman, originally from Singapore and I am Australian. Right from the beginning she tended to want to control me and constantly found fault in whatever I did – even simple things like washing the dishes, driving the car – doing the garden and so on. Nothing was ever good enough and she never said thank you or please – and never gave me praise or encouragement.
When I came home from work and wanted to talk about the projects and what I had archived or what I was concerned about, she would offer a lecture and then go back to watching the television of playing games on the tablet – and not really listen. This happened all the time – so after a while I stopped telling her things – and lived a life in exile almost.
After retirement, I wanted to set up a business to generate more income but each time, she would sabotage my attempts by being cold, objective and even sometimes be blatantly rude to potential business partners. This happened several times and I thought it was because she just though they were bad opportunities but after a while I began to see the pattern of direct sabotage – like as if she was envious that I might be more successful – or that she would become second best to the business.
She never seemed to think about us actually working together and supporting each other – it always seemed to be fighting each other.
The final straw was when I tried to set up a business for helping men to deal with anxiety and depression because I suffered a breakdown in my 40’s and was very close to deaths door, and I made a promise that when I learnt how to overcome it, I would help other men to avoid what I went through. And a lot of people need that help right now.
I read have studied a lot and we even did courses together on hypnosis, kinesiology, acupressure, massage and several other subjects that can help people – and yet even though we did the training – she never actually did any healing with other people – it was as if she had no empathy or compassion to actually help someone else – including me. Sometimes I would be so hurt by the things she would say to me I would be in tears and she would just walk past me and not even sit and ask me what was wrong. It was and still is just so weird – like I am going crazy – how could a person be so mean and thoughtless and not give somebody a cuddle or a soft shoulder to lean on in their moments of despair.
The biggest problem is that I spent all of my retirement money trying to set up the business and just found her negative influence – sometimes direct – but always subtle – days of not speaking to me – or putting me down – or being rude and spiteful.
It wears me down emotionally and I have lost all my self-esteem and confidence – I don’t know who I am anymore and now that I don’t have any money – she wants me to leave – but I cannot because we are in total lockdown – and I feel that I am worthless and nobody would want me anyway – and old man – sad and destitute – no money – struggling to get my mind together – most days mentally and physically so tired I just want to sleep – because I don’t get any sleep at night my head is so full of stuff.
It is just so strange – when she’s in a good mood – she is so nice to me – buys me things – loves cooking for me – laughs and sings – but then as soon as she gets stressed – she turns on me again.
What should I do – leave or try to patch it up – again – like I have in the past? The biggest problem is that she hates me for wasting my money as she puts it but she does not acknowledge that she has been sabotaging me. I feel like I am living with a person that hates me.
Can anybody relate to this – please tell me if this is what it’s like to live with a person that has narcissist tendencies?