Are you hurt and broken?
Did your husband cheat on you, and are you looking for ways to punish him emotionally?
Then this article is for you.
Cheating is one of the worst ways to betray your partner’s trust.
This is because it is an insult and a breaking of one’s commitment to them.
For some people, cheating is not a deal breaker, and they keep their relationship or marriage moving even after it happens.
But many others see cheating as a betrayal of their trust and an almost unforgivable offence.
Deal breaker or not, I can say for sure that nobody jumps with glee and excitement at the thought of their partner cheating on them.
If your husband has cheated on you, it goes without saying that you are experiencing a myriad of emotions and experiencing a lot of hurt.
You feel downcast, betrayed, and disappointed; the only emotion more consuming than your pain and anger is your zeal for revenge.
You want to get back at him so badly in an almost equally painful way.
You may not end the marriage, but you aren’t going to let it slide, either.
You want to punish him emotionally and make him feel terrible too.
I can’t judge or blame you for wanting to do this because the hurt and pain you feel are better talked about than experienced.
However, in situations like this, it is important to go about it correctly to avoid taking actions that eventually lead to regrets.
These steps will help you handle the situation and achieve some form of revenge.
Because, in truth, no form of emotional hurt can be sufficient revenge for what he has done.
6 Ways To Punish A Cheating Husband Emotionally
1) It starts with you
Dealing with infidelity in whatever form it comes can be brutal and hard.
It is challenging and can throw you into an utter state of disarray.
The hurt you feel can quickly spiral into a wide range of emotions like anger or guilt.
You may begin to blame yourself or start to feel inadequate.
Or you may begin to feel a form of unquenchable fury that gnaws at your heart and threatens your peace of mind.
The first thing you need to do is try to be calm and focus on yourself.
Hit the pause button on your revenge quest and listen to your insides.
Pain is trying to overshadow you, and your emotions are trying to take you on a roller coaster over and over again for as long as you let them.
Choose not to let that happen.
Give yourself time and grace to process all that happened and to feel the emotions that come with it.
But do not succumb to the weight of the hurt or voices trying to make you think you are at fault.
Before deciding how to get back at him, (if you even see a need to eventually), focus on yourself and find some calm and stability.
2. Surprise him
And no, I do not mean you should light a candle and give him a dinner treat.
I mean, surprise him with your actions by not giving him the reaction he expects.
As much as you feel hurt and betrayed, if you want to get back at him emotionally, you must be unpredictable.
Don’t break down in tears before him and cry all the time, showing him how wrecked you are.
You can cry if you want to.
Just don’t do it in his presence.
3. Act indifferent
Apart from not crying and showing him your pain, another thing you should try to do is confuse him with your expressions and actions.
Keep an unreadable expression and a plain face.
Of course, he already knows you are hurt, so you don’t need to show him that.
If you want to get back at him emotionally, one of the ways to do that is to make him feel confused and wonder what exactly is happening.
His emotions will be greatly toyed with as he watches you cautiously, trying to figure out what you are up to.
4. Do not give him a listening ear
We would always recommend communication.
Especially when relationships or marriages are shaky, and some issues need to be resolved.
Communication is important for you to understand each other better and resolve the issue.
However, if you aim to punish your husband emotionally for cheating, you will do the opposite of communicating with him.
Naturally, he would expect you to give him a listening ear or be curious to know why he did what he did.
If you do not listen to him, he will likely be hurt, especially if he keeps actively trying to talk to you about it.
The other side of this is that if you desire to keep the relationship, cutting off communication may lead to the demise of your marriage.
The choice is yours.
5. Go on dates with yourself
Yes, you heard it right.
Go on solo dates with yourself, not only for self-love but also to focus your attention back on YOU and remind yourself how important it is to take care of yourself.
It can be as simple as going out for a movie night or treating yourself to a delicious dinner.
This will help in strengthening your relationship with yourself.
Make sure to go dressed up beautifully.
It will make him wonder.
It is an effective way of getting back at him for cheating while nurturing your inner self.
6. Live your best life.
Of course, you just experienced something horrible, so you are not exactly living your best life now.
But you have to fake it if punishing him emotionally is your aim.
Hang out with friends, go to the gym, attend events, and socialise.
Try to be happy and let him see it.
Don’t go about it in a desperate attention-seeking way – that will make you achieve the opposite of what you want.
Be subtle but very intentional.
Give more attention to your work, school, friendships, and so on, and none to him.
This will take him through a terrible emotional ride.
Generally, acting like he does not exist and choosing to live your best life and thrive through the hurt will naturally punish him emotionally.
Ignoring him and focusing on yourself and what makes you happy will be the best way to punish him.
However, you can’t do this forever.
Sooner than later, you must decide on the next step and act towards it.
Final Words
Undoubtedly, infidelity is hard to deal with, and you may not know what to do immediately.
It is okay to take some time and think things through.
Do you want to fix things, or do you want to walk out of the marriage?
People can fix their relationship after a case of infidelity, but it requires a lot of intentionality from both parties and forgiveness.
If you and your partner decide to walk through this, seeking therapy and professional advice would greatly help.
Establishing mutual respect and commitment is necessary to foster a healthy relationship.
Clear boundaries must be set and respected too.
Taking extreme actions like cheating back on him or subjecting him to physical hurt are unhealthy ways to approach the situation.