You're Strong For Leaving

You’re Strong For Leaving

You’re strong for leaving him, even if you allowed him to hurt you for months (or even years) before you decided you weren’t going to take his crap anymore.

You’re strong for leaving him, even if you kept telling him you loved him long after he deserved it.

You’re strong for leaving him, even if you didn’t stand up to him at the end.

You’re strong for leaving him, even if you snuck out in the middle of the night with your packed bags.

You’re strong for leaving him, even if you’ve cried every night since you’ve left him.

You’re strong for leaving him, even if there are nights when you miss him, when you wonder whether you made a mistake, when you reach out and text him.

You’re strong for leaving him, even if you need to lean on family and friends until you’re able to get back on your feet again.

You’re strong for leaving him, even if you aren’t sure what the hell you’re going to do without him.

You’re strong for leaving him, even though you feel like you should have done things a lot differently.

You have to stop shaking your head when people call you strong. You have to stop assuming you’re weak. You have to stop being upset with yourself for staying for suck a long time, for leaving in such a polite way, for being so heartbroken over losing him.

You might feel like you could have handled the situation better. You might wish you walked away sooner or put him in his place earlier. You might not be proud of yourself for the way you said goodbye — but you should be proud of yourself.

You got yourself out of a messy situation. You decided you weren’t going to give him control over you anymore. You decided you were done with his sad attempts at love.

It doesn’t matter if you walked away because you were scared or angry or felt like you had no other choice, because no matter the reason, you got the hell out of there. You’re free from him now. He’s gone.

It might have taken you a few attempts to leave. You might have fallen for his apologies more times than you would like to admit. But it’s better late than never. You should be proud of yourself for following through, for finally saying goodbye.

You’re strong for leaving him, even if it feels like the world is crushing down on you right now.

You’re strong for leaving him, even if you’ve been having trouble getting out of bed lately.

You’re strong for leaving him, even though you feel like a complete idiot for ever loving him in the first place.

You have to stop reliving the past. You can’t change when you left or how you left or the things you said as you left. You have to keep your eyes on the path ahead of you. You have to move forward with the knowledge you are a strong woman. Thought Catalog Logo Mark


About the author

Holly Riordan

Holly is the author of Severe(d): A Creepy Poetry Collection.