Q&A How Do I Get to the Point That I Feel Good about the Way That I Look?

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Question: 

Throughout my 9 years of marriage my husband would on & off tell me of what he considered to be my physical "imperfections." He had a list of 5 different things he didn't like about the way I looked & thought could be improved. It was always hurtful to me and he would apologize but then keep doing it. He would just blurt things out & it was like he couldn't control what he said! Some of the things that he considered to be my flaws didn't even make any since to me at all, while other things I actually agreed with him about. Since I recently discovered his porn addiction, he has begun a process of retraining his mind/thoughts, including avoiding looking at other women & comparing me. Now all of a sudden I'm the background on his screensaver & I’m super sexy & "perfect." I am thankful of his change of heart, but it doesn't make me feel that great knowing that now I'm suddenly so attractive only because he isn't comparing me to other women. On top of that I'm always wondering if he is going to compare me or lust when we run into someone attractive. This has become such a trigger for me, that I start automatically comparing myself to any attractive person I come across! The worst is when I see people that fit my husband’s description of the way he wanted me to look like... Recently I also noticed him staring at my small amount of belly fat & when I confronted him he didn't deny it. How do I get to the point where I feel good about how I look despite my physical imperfections & despite whatever my husband thinks about the way I look?

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I was feeling this way for

I was feeling this way for the few months after D-day until one morning when I decided to analyze my thinking. It was along the lines of what John was saying, none of us is perfect. Then it hit me. I was thinking of my husband as somehow “superior”, that I needed to meet his expectations, that I was not “enough” for him. He’s never made me feel this way or said anything negative about my appearance, but simply thinking about him being attracted to others put me in this funky place about my looks. I took a hard and honest look at our situation. On one hand there was me, the loyal and committed one, the one who had been faithful throughout our marriage. On the other hand was my husband, the one who had been deceptive and had lied, not only to me but to all of the APs (he had no plans to leave our marriage, but doubt he made that point clear to any of them). I sat up and announced to myself: “HE’S NO PRIZE!”
Since then, that’s been my mantra whenever I go down the road to self-deprecation. I am not inferior to any AP, I am not inferior to my unfaithful spouse, I am the treasured wife. I am the prize. He’s becoming the prize again too, but he certainly wasn’t for a few years.
I told our counselor and my husband this one day during a session together, we all got a good laugh. Every once in awhile our counselor will even pull it out in certain situations: “Remember, he’s no prize!” A year after D-day, it’s good to have some humor about all of the pain of those first few months.

This is it!

I finally realized a few days ago that it is my husband who should be concerned about being attracted to me, not him to me. I took care of myself while he ran around and spent his time chasing sex rather than taking care of himself. I feel good about my appearance and if I want to change anything like my weight or clothes or hair, I will do it because I want to - not because I feel inferior to the 22 yo women he fantasized about. If that is who he wants and desires still, he can leave tomorrow. It is nice to stand straight up! My H is a sex addict and suddenly I realized that I should never allow a sex addict to define my sexuality nor my attractiveness. Thanks for your comments!

This is it!

I finally realized a few days ago that it is my husband who should be concerned about being attracted to me, not him to me. I took care of myself while he ran around and spent his time chasing sex rather than taking care of himself. I feel good about my appearance and if I want to change anything like my weight or clothes or hair, I will do it because I want to - not because I feel inferior to the 22 yo women he fantasized about. If that is who he wants and desires still, he can leave tomorrow. It is nice to stand straight up! My H is a sex addict and suddenly I realized that I should never allow a sex addict to define my sexuality nor my attractiveness. Thanks for your comments!

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I would highly recommend giving this a try.
 
-D, Texas