Mental Health | Boundaries

Setting Boundaries in Family Relationships

I am reintroducing myself to my family with the concept that I now have boundaries that must be respected

Invisible Illness
Published in
8 min readOct 2, 2024

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Photo by Migs Reyes

When I was growing up, I didn’t learn the concept of boundaries. I just went along with whatever my mother, father, grandmother, aunts, and uncles told me to do. This was mostly fine, except that these family members carried a lot of unprocessed trauma and resentment which spilled over into their relationship with me. As they acted out their family drama and hurts, I got caught up in the middle and was hurt in the process. I don’t think anyone consciously decided they were going to hurt me, but the damage was done nonetheless.

I moved away for a decade and had the chance to live life on my own. This time away made me realize how much I got roped into family drama when I was near my family members, and also how often they tried to tell me what to do. Now, I live in close proximity to my family again. However, I’m approaching my relationship with family members with a different perspective. I’m a changed person. I am re-introducing them to the “new me”. I have boundaries, and I plan to distance myself from toxic family drama. I’m also renegotiating my role in my family, including how I expect to be treated…

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Jenn L.
Invisible Illness

I write about my experience as a second generation Asian American, mental health, and female empowerment. Contact me at https://jenniferinparis.weebly.com