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Question from "Tony":
Are there any consistencies in how long it usually takes a wife to 'recover' from her hurt and anger toward me? When is it appropriate to start enforcing what I stand for? Wait for our 'agreed upon' 6 month time frame? I'm working on myself and wondering how long before she wants me again. I wonder if I just don't "get it" yet, as least not fully. Any
thoughts?
Answer:
Hi Tony,
This is a very common question with a complex answer. Everyone wants to know "how long" before things get back to normal in a situation like yours.
The complexity is that by asking that question frequently - even in your head - is precisely what sets up the tension, pressure and implied judgment and disappointment that she can FEEL from you on a daily basis.
This is what most guys don't get. You have to REALLY, REALLY stop giving a shit about progress, about goals and about timelines. Only then are you truly trustable with a woman in your wife's current state of mind and emotions.
You have to stay in a lane of your own...happy, secure, engaged, motivated and inspired to live your own damn life. You lose resentment and expectation. You love more deeply than ever. You accept her more than ever before. And you consistently hold her in a position of high regard in your heart and your thoughts even on the hardest days.
It MAY be enough over time to help her re-engage in the intimacy you want in your marriage. It definitely won't happen without that kind of commitment.
Here's the other complexity.
Until you become that man and husband, you will feel resentful, impatient and confused as your marriage unfolds in front of you. You won't be prepared to see and accept her bids to connect. You will continue to make stupid mistakes in how you show up. And you won't have the courage and confidence to say and do the things necessary to invite her into the marriage you want to
live.
This is what we teach in our coaching community. I'd love for you to think about joining us...maybe the Roundtable or the Defuse the Divorce Bomb group would be perfect for you.
Lotta love,
Steve
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