Whether we like it or not, our relationship with our parents while growing up affects our future relationships with not only ourselves but others as well. This can be from friends to loved ones to other family members and even the future relationships with our parents themselves. If you struggled with difficult or even destructive behaviors from a parent when growing up, it might be a challenge to have a healthy relationship with them into adulthood. This can lead to feelings of guilt, because we live in a society where it\u2019s frowned upon to have a negative relationship with our parents. Although we can\u2019t change how our parents behave, we can change or adjust how we respond to their behavior. Here are some tips on how to mindfully cope with difficult or toxic parents.<\/p>\n
Stop Trying to Please Them:<\/strong> Set and Enforce Boundaries<\/strong>:<\/strong> Don\u2019t try to Change Them<\/strong>: You Don\u2019t Have to, If You Don\u2019t Want to<\/strong>:<\/strong> Put Yourself First<\/strong>:<\/strong> It may be scary or uncomfortable to change the way you interact or deal with your parents, but it\u2019s important to remember that your needs come first. If you have difficulty dealing with toxic or difficult parents, request an appointment with one of our therapists today!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Whether we like it or not, our relationship with our parents while growing up affects our future relationships with not only ourselves but others as well. This can be from friends to loved ones to other family members and even the future relationships with our parents themselves. If you struggled with difficult or even destructive […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2416,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,9],"tags":[36,220],"class_list":["post-2415","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-relationships","category-trauma-resilience","tag-boundaries","tag-relationships"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stillpointcounselingandwellness.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2415","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stillpointcounselingandwellness.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stillpointcounselingandwellness.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stillpointcounselingandwellness.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stillpointcounselingandwellness.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2415"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stillpointcounselingandwellness.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2415\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stillpointcounselingandwellness.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2416"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stillpointcounselingandwellness.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2415"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stillpointcounselingandwellness.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2415"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stillpointcounselingandwellness.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nWanting your parents approval as a child is completely normal, but it becomes toxic when your best never seems to be good enough for mom or dad. Allowing your parents to determine your self-worth and life goals will leave you feeling unhappy and unfulfilled. Allow yourself to live your life by your own accord.<\/p>\n\n
\nSetting boundaries can help set clear expectations and limits for how we allow others to treat us. It might be weird or difficult setting boundaries with your parents because that isn\u2019t something you had as a kid. It\u2019s important to remind yourself that boundaries are necessary, especially when dealing with toxic people. Remember that it\u2019s okay to limit contact, leave early, come late or tell them no if that\u2019s how you need to honor your boundaries.<\/p>\n\n
\nIf you spend your time trying to change people who don\u2019t want to change, it\u2019s only going to leave you feeling drained and defeated. Instead, focus on things you CAN control and change like how you respond to their behavior or interact with them.<\/p>\n\n
\nThis goes for anything but specifically, holidays. As a society we\u2019re under pressure to be with our family during the holidays or maintain certain traditions with family members. But here\u2019s a secret, if you don\u2019t want to you don\u2019t have to! That\u2019s right! You are under no obligation to spend holidays with people who make you feel unhappy. This is a great time to start new traditions or completely change the way you spend the holidays!<\/p>\n\n
\nLike I mentioned in the previous paragraph, you are under absolutely no obligation to spend time with people who stress you out or create drama in your life. It\u2019s important to make sure you\u2019re taking care of yourself and putting your needs before the needs of your parents. It will be easier to set boundaries, communicate effectively, or even detach when you\u2019re at your best physically and emotionally.<\/p>\n\n