Skip to main content Skip to bottom nav

How can I make my parents understand my distress?

13 Answers
Last Updated: 07/26/2021 at 6:08am
1 Tip to Feel Better
Portugal
Moderated by

Jennifer Patterson, LMFT

Art Therapist

Life can be messy. Sometimes you need a little support to make your way through it. I love to help guide people through their challenges & to find the beauty in our messes.

Top Rated Answers
BeautifulBeauty96
March 17th, 2015 5:01am
Parents can seem to not understand what you're going through at any moment, but one must remember that they were once our age. They might have gone through the exact same emotions and feelings. The best way to make them understand would be to simply have a conversation with them, in a polite and adult manner. Try to show them why you are not having a good week or talk to them about what is going on in your life. They will want to listen.
Anonymous
April 2nd, 2015 12:22pm
personally, i think coming up to your parent/s and confronting them, explaining, opening up to them is the best possible way to make them understand. we should also consider that being a parent is the hardest job. our parents don't get to take a vacation or a break or a leave or a day off or an e-out from being a parent. surely, parents can be under a lot of stress, too. sometimes they can say or do things they never meant and that might put us under more distress but at the end of the day, good parents will always want what's best for their children. actually, most of the time, parents want to help their troubled children more than anything in the world. either we just don't let them, or they're just having difficulty with balancing everything all at once. there could be other factors, too. so, go and speak to them. sort things out with them. help each other. :)
Greentreefrog
May 4th, 2015 6:59am
Firstly by helping them to understand how your distress is impacting your day to day life. Is it impacting on school, work or friends? Help them to walk a mile in your shoes.
Anonymous
May 15th, 2015 9:48pm
By asking them to sit and hear me out, that way they can have their complete attention on me and understand what i am saying
magnanimousSummer68
July 28th, 2015 4:44pm
Have a heart to heart conversation with them ...but first write on a sheet of paper all the things that contribute to your distress .. that way you can have a clear discussion with them about what is bothering you .
PoliteOcean
September 7th, 2015 3:41am
Talk to them about it . Be honest. Let them know how you are feeling. They won't know or be able to try to understand until you do that.
Anonymous
February 9th, 2016 7:54pm
Apparently people don't quite get what they haven't personally been through. So when you want them to understand your distress and struggle, then you have to start from where they stand, and build up from there. See what they can relate to, and use that to paint a similar image to what you're going through. and don't feel bad if they don't get therestraight away.. it takes some time before their mindset can absorb this new insight. But keep in mind that as relieving it is to have your parents understand and support you, it's also true that you're the only one who can decide to face your distress and outgrow it, or give in to it and collapse under pressure. You're the hero in all this, with or without your parents' understand and support.. Good luck champ :))
Anonymous
March 15th, 2016 6:30am
Speak to your parents, be open about your feelings and don't leave anything out. Your feelings are usually what is most important to your parents.
avanef
January 30th, 2017 9:54pm
You talk to them. Communication is a key to any form of friendship, family, etc. Mental and physical health is very important to us and if we don't talk to other people about it and get the care we need, then you will be battling with distress for a whole long time. It might be a tough one to go through, having to explain it all out, but in time you'll be better.
Anonymous
June 19th, 2017 2:33am
Talking is the best option to solve issues. Try to talk to them and get them to understand where u are coming from.
Anonymous
January 1st, 2018 6:23pm
It isn't easy to try and make your parents understand your distress, but if your parents really love you, they will try their best to understand you. Explain your problems with them and let them do the rest. Make sure you tell them in a state where their full attention is on you.
Anonymous
January 29th, 2018 5:49pm
Talk to them about it. Tell them or show them how you honestly feel. If you write, then maybe write all about it and then show it to them. If you draw, do the same. They will probably understand.
Anonymous
July 26th, 2021 6:08am
Generally speaking, clear and thorough communication is the best way to help parents understand what you are going through. Talking about how something is affecting you and how it makes you feel can help them understand how to react and best help you in whatever you are going through. No parent is perfect and not everyone can understand exactly what another person feels but they can try and the very face that you are putting yourself out there and being honest about how you feel is enough incentive for them to support you. A lot of times, trying to explain why you feel something can also better help someone else get where you are coming from.