Talking to my family
Hi there :)
I am a first-year college student and I recently started counseling through my university. I was diagnosed with moderate generalized anxiety and mild depression and social anxiety. Going to therapy has already started to help me and talking through my issues with my therapist and close friends has been very beneficial. Unfortunately, I am going home for the summer soon and I am worried about being away from my therapist and close friends. My family has never been super receptive when it comes to mental health issues, and my attempts to share my struggles in the past were not well recieved. I love my parents and they have always been supportive in everything except this. They tend to sweep the issue under the rug and say things like: "everyone feels like that". Now that I have been formally diagnosed, I feel a lot more confident in what I am experiencing (which I have always suspected was generalized anxiety). I want to be able to share my diagnosis and the way I am feeling with my family, but I am afraid to and don't know how. Does anyone have any advice/experience?
Thanks <3
-Meredith
@LaEstrellaDelNorte - Writing a letter might be less confrontational than trying to have a conversation with them, but you should do what feels right for you. Remember that you are now stronger than you were before when you tried to talk to them about it. You now have a diagnosis to back it up and what you knew deep in your heart to be true has been validated by people who know and understand these things. You might think of having some resources available for them to read about what you are experiencing if you think that will give them more understanding. But if you try talking to them and they don't have ideal reactions you might feel vulnerable around them in which case I wonder if you could maybe create a safe place/space for yourself where you can go to so that you won't just have to deal with their opinions all the time. Make sure you take good care of yourself. Maybe you can also tell a friend or someone if/when you are planning on having a conversation with them and then that friend can think of you and hear how things went afterwards. But these are just my ideas and I think as you think about these things you are going to be able to identify what will be best for you. It will come to you and you will know what to do. You know what is right for you. Good luck.
Hi
I'm sorry to hear that you're struggling :(. That being said, I'm glad you're beginning to understand more and more the feelings you are having and are able to talk to someone about them.
I believe that everyone is going through something different. I don't tell my parents everything - everyone's got secret, right?- It's normal to be afraid.
You're afraid to tell your parents.... and speaking from experience, I think this is because you're worrying about what their reactions will be once you tell them - sorry if I got this wrong
Do you and your parents chat? If you do, I would suggest discussing with them about someone elses experience- stories similar to your experience (you can find them on 7cups) and see how they react. If they feel positive/neutral about it, you are reassured and you may want to continue talking about YOUR experience.
Telling someone how you feel is one of the most difficult and awkward topics in the world- it's normal to be afraid
If you think your feelings have intensified during your time at home, you are always welcome to talk to one of the listener on here
Enjoy your summer holiday :)