Welcome To My Dysfunctional Family

New Beginnings

As we start the new year, I was reflecting on my goals for last year, and that got me thinking about how much can happen in a year. A few years ago, my husband and I started a tradition of writing down Happy Thoughts throughout the year and stuffing them into a jar, then we read them to each other during the first few days of the new year. We've been doing that this week, and I'm realizing how much I have to be grateful for, and I don't want to take anything for granted.

I grew up in a dysfunctional family, so it astonishes me that it took me as long as it did to recognize it when I found myself entrapped in it in my adult life. What's more puzzling is that, even after my own experience, I didn't see my best friend's (now my husband) Stockholm Syndrome for what it was. In my defense, I was still licking my wounds and trying to make sense of what I had been through. I was also blinded by optimism and a renewed sense of hope.

So many people feel obligated to maintain unhealthy relationships because of a little shared DNA, and I'll never completely understand that. I left my abuser, and I had no trouble disengaging from my narcissistic father. (I came to see both of them for what they were at roughly the same time.) DNA? That's superficial. Toxic is toxic, and I refuse to feel obligated to enable a narcissist or to unduly stress myself out.

No Contact

As of this writing, I haven't spoken to my father in almost ten years (same for the narcopath I lived with; it was a clean break, no further communication), and it hasn't been difficult at all. My husband went no-contact with his narcissistic mother a few years ago, and he doesn't miss her either. I realize not everyone has an epiphany moment, or their toxic relative (or lover) does something so unforgivable to them, that trying to salvage the relationship is no longer an option, but I want to tell you that not having to deal with toxicity in your personal life on a regular basis is a much more peaceful way to exist.

Whether it's a lover, a parent, sibling, or even a child, no one should have to endure emotional, psychological, or physical abuse out of a sense of duty or obligation to a dysfunctional family. It may be difficult, but you can remove the negativity from your life. You are good enough, and your needs are just as important as anyone else's. You can have hope and aspirations. You can live up to your full potential.

Photo Credit: Needpix