Re: How to change the way I look at a cruel family
Hi there...
It is good that you are able to ask others for help. It is human nature to be selfish, but people that are suffering with fatigue/
Depression are exceptionally needy. They can't help it.
The Lord told me years ago, when I didn't know what was wrong with me, "It is not you, it is just the way you feel." I have to remember this when I get stressed/impatient/angry/resentful, which seems to be most of the time.
I lost my home in the country when I had to get on disability, and am forced to stay with my wife's daughter's family. I am totally sensitive to anything toxic, so I have to spend a lot of time outside the apartment (which made the winter quite unpleasant here in MI), though I have to sleep here. I cannot recover here because the toxins keep my adrenals too stressed.
My problem is that no one seems to care and they don't really believe it when I say that their perfume, for instance, is killing me. But it is their house and I try to respect that( ...and leave so I don't die).
Actually, the people living here are sick, too, same as me, yet not as severe, but they are in deep denial. Until my wife gets a job, we cannot afford to move. I would sleep in the park if there were no mosquitoes, and I do in the daytime.
Is any of this similar to your situation. The biggest thing that I have to keep in mind, is that it is just how we all feel, and we don't have to live by what we feel...reacting all the time. I can't change them/make them understand, but if I have hope that it can change, then I can wait for the change, and not panic.
Personally, I don't know how most people can do it without drawing courage from the Lord. He has shown me what was wrong with me, how to get cured, what to eat and He shows me how to treat my family. He shows me that it will all be resolved, but I need to learn some things out of this. He is all about teaching/changing us for the better. We can't change others, and really only God can change us, but we need to be willing to let Him do it. Life is all about people and how to communicate with them, but you need to relieve your stress and be able to relax. Also the person in the mirror needs to be my friend.
Here's a big tool, but can be difficult to express, especially if depressed: forgivness. Accept God's forgiveness, forgive yourself and forgive those hurting you, even if they deserve something else. We all deserve something else.
When we are depressed, we cannot feel pleasant emotions like compassion, love, empathy. We only feel bad,grouchy,impatient or often just passive, even suicidal. I am convinced that happy people do not "off" themselves, (or others), but there is still no excuse for just following my feelings. Life is about more than that. We have a destiny to fulfill, and we will get past this current difficult. It is not you, but just the way you are feeling...just feelings. It will be better tomorrow.
I have thought this many times: that if I was actually healthy and undepressed, I could enjoy life, no matter what the circumstances. It is just what you are going through today. Take courage, and don't give up hope.
If I sound presumptuous, please forgive me.