It’s not a secret that I’ve had many bad and toxic relationships in the past. I have opened up about this matter on this platform many times before. For me, it’s a cathartic experience to look back at some of these relationships and learn valuable lessons from them for the future. My goal in that is not to dwell in the past but rather learn from it so that I won’t repeat my mistakes. I want to heal from my past and focus on my present. These relationships left me heartbroken and distraught. Back then, as I experienced the aftermath of these relationships in real-time, I didn’t take the proper time to process it all. I jumped from one toxic relationship to another, not taking the time to see the signs that, in hindsight, were there all along. When I was going through it, I always felt and said that I was heartbroken, but the truth is that these men broke a lot more than that.

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They broke me down, destroyed me. They left scars that stayed with me for many years afterward. In a few of these relationships, my then partners cheated on me. In a lot of these relationships, I was belittled and treated miserably. In a lot of these relationships, I was constantly lied to and often ignored. To name a few of the consequences of these men’s actions, my self-esteem and trust in others decreased immensely. I had to carry these things with me for years and almost missed on my current (perfect) partner as I found it difficult to trust him. It affected so many aspects of my life – ruined my friendships, damaged my professional career, to name a few. I hit rock bottom. Thankfully, meeting my current partner helped me in getting my old me, or at least some of it, back. We have to look out for ourselves and make sure that we won’t repeat our past mistakes. Take care of yourself, and don’t let others destroy everything that you build.