It may not hold true for you, but I have realized that what I thought I needed is not truly what I needed at all. I similarly felt that I needed validation in the form of verbal appreciation or compliments from my boyfriend (or other people). But, lately my boyfriend has been very open with his encouraging comments and I still find myself down. I feel a nice spark at the moment he says something like "Thank you so much for taking care of the dishes tonight" and kisses me on the neck, but just a little while later that wears off and I'm jonesing again.
So what does that mean? It means that Angela is right, true validation cannot be found in the words or actions of another person. You must find it in yourself. Answer Angela's questions and really look deeply at the source of this addiction. When you find it and destroy the power it has over you, you will never need that validation again, and it will be all that much sweeter to you at that point.
I wish you the best.
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