Father’s Day (and/or Mother’s Day) can be very stressful times for some people, especially if they don’t have a good relationship the parent in question. Personally, I do not had a good relationship with my father. I last saw him in person (unwillingly) two years ago when the family got together for the passing of our dog, Toffee. Other than that, it’s been about seven years since I last saw him or had any communication with him.
With the help of my therapist, I have been working hard to deal with my traumas, fears, anxieties, etc. caused by complicated family relationships. Although I know I can never have a “great” relationship with my dad, I at least want a good and safe relationship with appropriate boundaries in place. This was the first Father’s Day since cutting off contact where I sent him a card and an email. And later this week, I will be seeing him briefly in person (with proper social distancing measures in place). It has been especially important to me to re-establish contact with my father this year since not only did I lose my Grandpa, but two of my family members have since gotten COVID. Only one has recovered so far.
This is a huge step for me, and has (understandably) led to increased stress and a bit of a mental block. So, there will be no official blog post this week. If you too are working through personal and/or mental health problems, this is your reminder to take a break and be kind to yourself. And if you have a strained relationship with a family member, just know that it’s okay and you are not alone.
Since I don’t have anything new written up this week, please enjoy these silly cat pictures instead:
