What could you do differently?

I could change the way I react to people. Since our oldest took off everyone at my house has been a little on edge when communicating. It is like we are constantly feeling that we are all criticizing the other all the time. It is a very strange development. I know I am not criticizing people intentionally and at times someone will complain about something outside the house and there is this strange reaction for the person listening to feel like they are responsible for this thing the complaint is about.

It is an odd phenomenon and we have all been working on it in family therapy, but we all need to make a conscious effort to trust that the rest of us are not constantly criticizing us or putting us down. We do not know how it started or why we all seem to be suffering from it other than maybe the experience of the pandemic itself was just a tipping point for our anxieties and insecurities.

We are all very reactive and I am usually the most likely to succeed at a therapy goal. I could try and pause myself before I respond. Allow myself the space to assure my brain that we are safe and that whatever is said is not a problem with me.

My family loves me and I love my family. I could put more effort into overcoming this problem. If I can pull myself out of it, perhaps my family will be able to follow my lead. My mental bandwidth has increased in recent months now that I am regularly writing. I am probably the most able to make this change. I could be different.