Watch on YouTube:
When Your Family Isn't Supportive
Is there anything more complex than family relationships? Our family members can run the gamut from the most loving and reassuring people in our lives to the absolute worst and most difficult people we encounter. One of the major reasons people seek out therapy is to deal with the huge amounts of stress that our family members bring to our lives. This can be especially true, and even magnified, in the transition to parenthood, a difficult pregnancy/postpartum, or a time of grief/loss associated with the parenthood journey.
It’s these times when finding support is more crucial than ever, and it can be saddening, frustrating, angering, and very disappointing when the ones you love the most are not supportive and helpful.
Join me for a closer look at this topic!
When Your Family Isn't Supportive Show Highlights:
How the scenario of a non-supportive family member might play out as your expectations of support are not met
How family members can be intrusive, judgmental, or even absent
Why you might experience a disconnect with your parents and grandparents as you embark on your reproductive journey in very different ways than they did
How, in therapy, we attempt to figure out, untangle, and understand the complex feelings about our families
How therapy work explores how your feelings are impacting you and what can be shifted as we work toward specific goals
My takeaway advice: “Start a practice of reflection and a habit of naming your feelings. Find a therapist who can help you process your feelings, and know that you are not alone.”
Resources:
Postpartum Support International: https://www.postpartum.net/
Tools, Skills and Hacks for New Moms
Manage thoughts & feelings of overwhelm
Learn how breathing & grounding help reach calmness
Exercises to find peace
