I don’t know if I will ever be “okay”. Well, as far as society’s definition of what “okay” means, I guess. Does okay mean never feeling down, lost, hopeless? Does okay mean living a life of perfect equilibrium, knowing that there will always be ups and downs? The downs, the sadness that I am talking […]
Emotional Neglect – And the role your parents played.
Continuing from my last post on childhood Emotional Neglect, is this article on how it can happen in the 1st place. I first heard about the idea of Emotional Neglect during therapy last year, and have since heard it mentioned in various psychology publications. The prevalence of Emotional Neglect among Singaporeans was also discovered in […]
Emotional Neglect – Why You Need to Understand The Impact
Last year, in a bid to understand all my complex and conflicting emotions towards my “family”, my psychologist had asked me about my childhood, especially about who had supported my emotional needs. And I drew a blank. “I don’t recall talking to either parent about my issues,” was what I told her. I had started […]
No More Burying Feelings – Siblings of the Mentally Ill child.
After over 35 years of being a schizophrenic’s sister, I am only now realising what it means to be a schizophrenic’s sister. The full impact of this wasn’t even something I discovered by way of therapy. It hit me like a lightning all by myself, one fine day. Yes, my therapist knew I was the […]
Survivor Guilt – Siblings of the Special Needs / Mentally Ill child
I could never understand why I would often say I feel “guilty” when talking about my family situation. Well-meaning and practical people would respond by saying “you have done nothing wrong, you shouldn’t feel guilty.” Which I consciously agree with. And yet, the feeling creeps in, now and then. In my mind, there is an […]