We can’t always choose family or the ones we love that have been placed in our lives, but we sure can do each other a favor and raise healthy boundaries around each other.

Family can be our greatest strength and our biggest weakness. Face it, family dynamics are tough. There are no others that can rub us wrong faster or love us deeper and better. Someone beloved by me has spent a good portion of their adult life not talking to me because I haven’t lived up to their ideal… not to say there weren’t huge mistakes on my part, but there comes a time when the people in our lives are responsible for their own behaviors.

We all have a past and can point fingers at places, people, and situations that have shaped us into who we are. Our job is to know this and leave it in the past. When someone can’t take care of themselves, their attitudes, and the way they handle others and themselves, it’s time to DISTANCE ourselves from them. “I love you, but I can’t have you in my life right now. I work hard not to hear bullshit in my head all day long, I won’t add yours to the cacophony.” And then make a promise to yourself. If a person, place, or thing is toxic to your emotional, mental, and physical well-being, then you HAVE to remove them to protect yourself. When said person(s) are ready to treat themselves and you properly (please love YOU, you are beautiful beyond description) then and only then do you begin to carefully explore bringing them back into your life…