5 Ways To Heal From Family Enmeshment
#1 Remind yourself that you are not responsible for your family’s emotional well-being.
Enmeshment is a dysfunctional relational pattern in which personal boundaries are either blurred, unclear, or non-existent, leading to many unhealthy beliefs regarding ourselves and our relationships.
When we grow up in an enmeshed family, we’re not able to separate our emotions from the emotions of others: we’re overly empathetic, we care too much, we struggle to say no and we allow others to be inconsiderate because we “feel sorry for them”.
As a consequence, we attract individuals who take advantage of our boundary-less personality — and we end up in relationships that make us feel disrespected and unfulfilled.
However, it’s not easy to recognize our enmeshed patterns. Our conditioning is so powerful that we can’t even imagine different ways of being, let alone question the parenting we’ve received. Besides, we’re programmed to feel guilty for thinking differently and expressing ourselves.
Here’s the good news: it’s never too late to set boundaries, and it’s never too late to heal.
