Those of you who are reading this and come from an athletic background will appreciate my next analogy. When you go to your family for support, you are the coach. Whats more, you need to become Vince Lombardi. Since getting groups to agree is so difficult, when you go to your family looking for support, you should know what you want them to do already. When you gather your family, dont ask them how they can help. Tell them what you need. However, as you take control of the situation, be prepared to face resistance. Especially if you are not the one who usually takes control of situations. Especially if you are usually more passive at family gatherings, one of the more aggressive family members might try to wrest control away from you. This is your treatment so you need to keep control. Other people in the family, especially parents or grandparents might try to dominate your treatment and tell you what you need to get better. Make sure that you stand your ground and emphasize that you are the one who will be in control of the support services. Stress what you need for them to do, and dont let them tell you that you need anything else. To plan this, you might want to speak with your therapist to develop the plan. Develop it with them, making sure to incorporate the most supportive members of your family more. Then you will be able to stand firm when you present your plan. But you should also be sure to ask for the help instead of demand it. |
