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Jealousy & Guilt

Posted on: February 21, 2021 | Posted by: Victoria Helmly

Today, I feel jealous…and guilty for feeling that way. I don’t want to be jealous of other people’s lives, but I am. I want to only feel happiness for the people around me who are getting engaged, getting married, having children, or buying a home. But, the truth is, when I hear about it or see it on social media I feel sad. I see their happiness and joy. I read about their love for one another and see pictures of them together and I just feel sad. 

Life was supposed to be different. I was supposed to be married to Boris. By now, maybe we’d have a house. We’d have so much fun decorating it and we’d probably argue over cleaning and laundry. Maybe we would have adopted a dog or gone on an exciting trip together across the world. Maybe we’d have a baby one day. Maybe he would be in pharmacy school or followed a different dream. This life that I’d imagined is not possible anymore. And, that makes me sad. 

I don’t have much else to say about this, but I felt safe sharing these hard feelings here. Being jealous of other people’s lives feels wrong to me, so it just leads to guilt. I hate that other people’s lives have been turned upside down by widowhood, but at the same time, I feel so much relief knowing that I am not alone. I know there’s at least one person who will read this and think, “me too”. And, that means a lot. 

Categories: Widowed, Widowed & Unmarried, Widowed Emotions

About Victoria Helmly

My love story began in 2005 and though my love is no longer physically here with me, our story has not ended. I met Boris when we were 14, but it was not until our junior and senior year of high school that we became more than friends (he was my first kiss!). We went to the same college and although our relationship was a bit rocky through our early 20s, we made it through. He was my person. Our relationship grew stronger as we matured and learned about one another more as adults. I was certain that he was my forever. We talked about the future a lot and we knew we would get married, but we did not want to rush—he was still finishing graduate school and I was just starting my first full-time job. We did not realize how little time we had left together.

In the summer of 2017, Boris was hospitalized three times for active suicidal ideation. This was a heartbreaking, exhausting, and life-changing experience. After 10 months of therapy, medication, and support groups, Boris died by suicide on April 7, 2018. My life now has two parts: the one before April 7, 2018 and the one after. My very best friend, my person was now gone.

If you were to ask how I am doing now, 2.5 years later, I would say I am okay. I am living. My world continues to spin, and I continue to move forward. However, I still carry deep sorrow and loneliness. I have struggled with PTSD, anxiety, and depression. Sometimes I still cannot believe that he is actually gone. I still feel him with me, and I know that I will never stop loving and missing him.

I am currently in school for my Ph.D. and live just outside of Atlanta with our cat, Kitty Cat (Boris is responsible for the creative name). I work as a graduate research assistant currently, but I worked for three years with our State Unit on Aging prior to going back to school. I love movies, my friends and family, long walks, and traveling.

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