PIPER SMALL IS A BLOGGER/WRITER BASED IN THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

SHE IS MOST INTERESTED IN TOPICS RELATED TO THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE IN MODERN LIFE, FAMILY, COMMUNITY, NATURE, SPIRITUAL PRACTICES, DEPRESSION AND PTSD.

SHE TRIES TO DO ALL THIS WITH AS MUCH HUMOR AS POSSIBLE. 

19 Week 11

This weekend was probably one of the most significant I’ve had in my entire life.

I finally came face to face w/ the reality of how I process stress and the impact it has on my body and people around me.

Once again, I was so stressed by this situation with my parents that I made myself sick. I was unable to eat all day Friday and only started to relax once I was with friends. it was the first time I remember feeling that unhealthy and anxious for a very long time.

I have held on so tight to this responsibility. I didn’t see anyway else to get help, to get things done, to keep my mom safe. Her money has been slipping away, and I knew if I didn’t intervene, not only would she be out of money, we’d have to be footing a bill for her and have her end up someplace very unpleasant as we don’t have those kinds of funds either.

I haven’t felt anyone else in the family has been able to see this or chose not to see this. This has made me even more stressed, anxious and angry.

I talked with Jay a couple times about all this. He said this is killing me, and it is. It isn’t going to resolve anytime soon.

What can I do?

I need to stay more focused on getting to AlAnon meetings and probably find a Codependants Anonymous meeting. I need to get my slogans for survival written down and keep them with me. I need to be committed to not reacting in anger, even when I feel flashes of anger. I need to crave being kinder and more loving toward people and truly believe I’m safe.

  • I did not to create this situation

  • I am not responsible

  • I am not in crisis

  • I am safe

  • There are no villains

  • I can respond in love and still be safe

This isn’t going away anytime soon and will just continue to shift and change. I hope there will be some months or years of peace for my mom’s sake and all of us.

Regardless, I’m going to have to find a way to live again without being in a near-constant state of fight/flight/freeze, hypervigilance and anger. The anger, it makes me so sad that it’s still there.

I want better for my life. I want better for my family.

I’m so in love with Jay. I’m so grateful for a partner that has stuck by me. I just don’t care as much right now about all the things that I’ve yearned for. I’ve had too much focus on what I thought would be better and here, I have so much of what is the best, right here.

Humbled

Not the Best