Psycho-Free Zone

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

Why did we move in with my Narcissistic Mother-In-Law? When my husband and I returned to our home state, several years ago, the plan was to stay with his parents while he settled into a new job position. We both worked with the company, and the owners wanted him to relocate. He was also to have a minor surgery (with a sufficient recovery period), and we were to search for an apartment. It was my narcissistic mother-in-law (NMIL) who extended the invitation for us to stay with them during this time. Upon our arrival, she designated one end of the house, with two spare rooms, for us to spread out in. ( She later rewrote history by stating that she never said any such thing, but I specifically remember her telling us this, because it made me feel that she was giving us room to breathe, and maybe this wouldn't be so unpleasant after all . ) For a brief period of time, she expressed concern over Tim's injury, even sharing her prescription pain meds and sleeping pills with him, and