3281: How I Repaired My Damaged Sense of Self After a Breakup by Eddie Corbano on Confidence

[00:00:00] This is Optimal Living Daily, episode 3281. How I Repaired My Damaged Sense of Self After a Breakup by Eddie Corbano of LovesTheGame.com and I'm Justin Malik. Welcome back to a Sunday bonus episode where I give you a little extra content from a podcast

[00:00:17] in our network that I think will also help you live a life that's a bit more meaningful and happier. And this episode is coming from Optimal Relationships Daily today. So without further ado, here's Greg with the bonus post.

[00:00:29] As we optimize real life, how I repaired my damaged sense of self after a breakup by Eddie Corbano of LovesTheGame.com They say that a butterfly can't see its own wings, so it doesn't really know how beautiful it is.

[00:00:50] In a similar way, we lose sight of ourselves after a breakup. Guilt, anger and self-doubt consume us. We feel inadequate, as if something is wrong with us. We too forget how beautiful we really are. Do we lose our identity?

[00:01:05] Do we still know who we are without him or her? Have we defined our self-worth through them? The inconvenient truth is that the breakup distorts our sense of self, the way we see ourselves and the story we tell about ourselves.

[00:01:19] The task at hand is clear—to rebuild your sense of self, your self-esteem and confidence after the breakup. And more importantly, to change your destructive self-narrative to make yourself see the beauty of your wings. The Loss of a Sense of Self

[00:01:36] I remember vividly the self-image I had back then. I didn't like myself at all. My self-esteem was destroyed by an emotionally abusive father, and all I did was jump from one bad breakup into the next.

[00:01:49] When I finally met her, it was like finding the cure I was always looking for. After all, I couldn't be that bad if I had someone like her in my life, right? I compensated my many shortcomings and dents in myself by being with her. The wonderful her.

[00:02:06] I built up my whole identity around her, but it was all an illusion as I came to find out. A corroded building with a beautiful facade on the outside built on sand. Because what do you think happened when she left me? The whole building collapsed onto itself.

[00:02:23] Nothing remained but debris. Everything I was had ceased to exist. The Destruction of Who I Was I'm sure that you too can attest to what happens to your sense of self after a breakup. It's under attack by an unstoppable, obsessive, destructive, incessant, merciless self-talk.

[00:02:44] Trust me, there is actually nothing worse you can do to yourself than convince yourself day in day out that you are worthless. And it takes hold little by little. It manifests in your life in many creative and horrible ways until you can't anymore,

[00:02:59] until you hit that proverbial rock bottom, that wonderful rock bottom that saved me. Because in that beautiful moment, there was nothing more. No ex, no me, no anything. A hollow space, an empty glass with its poisonous water poured out. But suddenly, there was an opportunity.

[00:03:18] What if I fill that glass with fresh, clean water instead of refilling it with poison? The Reconstruction of a New Self Maybe you can relate, or maybe you can't. But there is a sense of freedom at the bottom. What else can happen to you when you've lost everything?

[00:03:36] I started to rebuild myself, brick by brick. And this time I used a solid foundation. A knowledge of who I really am. A sense of self. What do I really need? Whom do I really want? Why do I react in certain ways to certain events?

[00:03:53] I started to tell a new story to myself. The real story about who I am. This is what it means to have a strong sense of self. To tell yourself the real, unedited, unabridged, undramatized story of the main character. The star of the story.

[00:04:09] The person you really are. How to get yourself back after a breakup. So how does that help you? Why should you care what I went through and how I rebuilt myself? I've said it so many times publicly, and to everyone who comes up to me for help after

[00:04:25] their breakup or divorce. Your job is not to get your ex back, but to get yourself back. That's the only thing you have control over. You can sum up the stages of breakup recovery in one sentence. Radical acceptance and rebuilding of the authentic self. Accepting and rebuilding.

[00:04:45] That is your job now. Then, step by step, day by day, you will learn two things. That you can live without them and the person you really are. And with every step, you grow stronger. You learn how to overcome all the obstacles. There are seven big ones.

[00:05:03] How to reconnect with yourself. How to let go. And before you know it, the pain is gone and you've gained something precious in the process. A new perspective and outlook to an improved self. Suddenly, you start to see your own wings. You know how beautiful you really are.

[00:05:22] And you can proudly fly again. If you don't know how to start this process, I've got a few helpful links in this post, including a definitive guide to the no contact rule after a breakup, what I wish someone

[00:05:33] had told me right after my breakup, and love until madness did it happen to you. Your friend, Eddie Corbano. You just listened to the post titled, How I Repaired My Damaged Sense of Self After a Breakup, by Eddie Corbano of lovesagame.com. Great post from Eddie today.

[00:05:57] Highly, highly important material for anyone who's going through a breakup, especially if it's a tough one. Though, it might be just as important for those who are happily single and those who are currently in a relationship too.

[00:06:10] This is because if we can always build a sense of self, there's no need to feel we're without it should we lose anyone or anything. Certainly, even a strong sense of self will be challenged by big events like a breakup. This is natural.

[00:06:25] But how can we best prepare to withstand such pushback is to constantly harvest a sense of self, calculating and paying attention to our desires and our sacrifices, and being highly conscious of how we want to spend our time for us.

[00:06:42] Surely, love and attachment can alter this and make it feel as though we've lost our way, but to regularly check in on ourselves is a great means of preparation as well as a great means of self-care.

[00:06:54] So, thanks to Eddie, and thanks to all of you for being here today. Another one in the books, friends. Be sure to come on back tomorrow. We'll have another episode. Thursdays and Fridays are for parenting, so we'll look at some parenting content tomorrow.

[00:07:07] We hope you enjoy the rest of your night and that you will return for that one. That's where your optimal life awaits.