How to Protect Your Peace When Family Keeps Hurting You?
There’s someone in my extended family — a woman I once loved and trusted deeply. She used to be close to me and is still the only friend my mother has. But over time, she and her daughter have done things that felt like betrayal, not just to me but to my whole family. Despite everything, they still act like nothing ever happened. What hurts even more is that I can’t say anything to them — mostly because I don’t want to cause conflict for my mother, who still talks to them, even though they’ve hurt her too. I try to stay silent, but every time they say or do something — even small things — it gets to me. I feel angry, agitated, and it affects my mental peace and my ability to focus on work.
The worst part is that I genuinely miss the time I spent with them. Those moments were honest and happy for me — even if they weren’t real for them. I feel like I’m holding on to memories that don’t mean anything to them. I don’t want to start drama, and I know confronting them won’t help — it would only make things worse for my family. But I’m tired of letting their presence constantly drain me. What should I do to stop it from affecting my mental health, as it's one of the main sources of my stress and exhaustion? And is there any healthy way I can release or divert my anger instead of saying anything to them?
@honestBlackberry4646
In anger sometimes we imagine or think of the big scene of a tv show or movie where it all comes out. It seems freeing and would be a relief from the anger. That seldom happens in real life too many things like your mom still engaging with these people etc. when we hold it in we find even small things light that anger in us.
Have you had a private talk with your mom and shared your issues about them. Do you think she just does not see it ? Do you think pointing it out might help her see it? Is it worth her having bad friends instead of no friends?