I am sitting at my desk with my perfectly made iced coffee, a cozy space heater at my feet and a blissful hour of uninterrupted time to share with you how to “Thrive during the Holidays” and then . . . my phone lights up with a text from my dad. Shit.
Seeing a text notification from my dad is the last thing I expect or want to deal with! It’s Friday and I am excited to connect with you and share some inspiring wisdom, be joyful and send you some love!
But the pit in my stomach has other plans.
You see, my dad and I don’t have much of a relationship any more. I have worked very hard over the past two decades to create healthy boundaries to protect myself and my boys from his mental and emotional instability. Quite frankly, he is an asshole and a “wacko” and I have chosen to keep him out of my life.
It hasn’t been easy and I still have lots of “shoulds” cluttering up my thoughts . . .
“I should give him another chance.”
“I should be grateful that I have a dad.”
“I should be more understanding of his behavior.”
“I should try to convince him to see it my way.”
“He should understand how I feel.”
But those thoughts do nothing for me except get me into a “texting war” with my dad that goes nowhere and just makes my stomach hurt more.
SO . . . I do respond to my dad’s text (I just can’t help myself), he fires back and I am quick to respond . . . but this time, my finger hovers over the send button.
Something tells me to check in with the one person (other than my sister) who understands my ” Wacko Dad Saga.”
My wise husband talks me down and reminds me that my dad no longer has CONTROL over me, so don’t give him back the power TO control me.
I don’t push the send button . . . instead . . . I push DELETE.
Hmmm . . . my stomach feels better.
I am sharing this story with you today my beautiful tribe because you need to know that creating healthy boundaries is OK, even with your family! It’s not easy (trust me) but 100% worth it for YOUR health and bliss.
Do not allow someone else to control you or take away your power. Keep yourself safe and healthy and powerful!
Trust yourself, listen to your body, be honest with what you need and want in your life . . . and don’t be afraid to create some beautifully healthy boundaries!
Oh, and don’t forget . . . it’s also ok to push that damn delete button every once in awhile!!
xo,
amy
Leave a Reply