Mentally Abuse Causes Anxiety
Has anyone ever grew up with a mentally and/or emotionally abusive parent(s)? I was raised with a single mother and two brothers; one younger, one older. My little brother has Autism/ADHD, so my mother babied him a lot and he was more of an inspiration to me. If it wasn't for my little brother, I don't think I would be as strong as I am today. Growing up, my mom was very emotionally and mentally abusive to me, but as a kid/teen I got used to it and didn't realize the effects until I got older. Now I am 33 years old and have serious anxiety issues, don't know how to express my feelings, and always have a hard time making decisions for myself. Even simple decisions, like, what do I want for dinner? I wonder if I have Childhood Emotional Neglect problems? In the back of my mind I can still hear her nagging and criticism. I still keep in touch with her b/c she has no one else. (surprisingly!) She was divorced twice and my older brother turned into a heroin addict. So, I feel extremely guilty often if I don't help her. I want so badly to get rid of these guilty and angry feelings towards her. I want to have the courage to stand up to her. I also need to learn how to express my feelings! My husband is getting sick of me being so .. empty. :(