Function As A Family

Familial relationships are a lot of work. Whether you have an overbearing mother or a needy and irresponsible sibling; the weight of familial relationships can cause a strain on your mental health. As parents get older the roles begin to reverse and the child or children transition to taking on the role as provider and caretaker. As you ascend further into adulthood, you begin managing your own life to include the lives of your spouse/children. The older we get, some take on life’s challenges with perseverance while others will continue to display child-like behaviors to their gray. How do you continue to grow and thrive individually while others in your family remain dysfunctional?

Dysfunctional families can be characterized as a group of relatives handling issues like abuse, neglect, and external factors leading to environmental and emotional instability. Common themes include exposure to but not limited to drugs and violence. These types of offenses often lead individuals to compartmentalizing their emotions; furthermore issues around trusting others are quite common. Particularly children raised in a chaotic household tend to suffer from abandonment issues;moreover, difficulty with authority is common. Dilemmas such as this contribute to problems later on in life. When forced to handle less than ideal family dynamics is to one set firm boundaries that allow you to maintain your sanity and to take care of your personal needs. These boundaries can give you a firm foundation to stand on when others expectations of your abilities are challenged. Oftentimes, we try to avoid conflict at any cost which means limiting contact with some family. Though this can be seen as a drastic measure, if methods of counseling and talking through struggles have failed to be effective, this may be your only option for peace. Remember, that as an adult you have options and you alone are responsible for your happiness and meeting your needs.

Resources:

https://www.brown.edu/campus-life/support/counseling-and-psychological-services/dysfunctional-family-relationships

https://www.verywellmind.com/dysfunctional-defined-2610364

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/counseling-keys/201712/the-key-fixing-dysfunctional-family

https://www.healthline.com/health/toxic-family

https://www.oprah.com/omagazine/dealing-with-a-dysfunctional-family-during-the-holidays/all