| A school bus is teetering on the edge of a bridge | | | | Kryptonite, it's going to be tougher for you to do |
| ready to fall 500 feet downwards into the ravine | | | | this. |
| below. All of a sudden a red and blue blur zips in | | | | That's why you've got to do 3 things to combat this |
| from out of nowhere and the school bus is pushed | | | | problem. |
| back onto the bridge. It's Superman. Nearby, a | | | | 1) Put some distance between you and your |
| cyborg walks onto the bridge holding a piece of | | | | dysfunctional family. Spend less time with them (or |
| green rock. Superman's legs start buckling and he | | | | stop spending time with them altogether). |
| starts feeling really sick. It turns out the cyborg is | | | | 2) Start seeing a therapist if you're not already. A |
| holding the one thing that can trigger Superman's | | | | good therapist will teach you how to set healthy |
| downfall. It's Kryptonite. | | | | boundaries and other important life skills to help you |
| Do you ever find that your family can bring you to | | | | build yourself up if you're an abuse survivor. |
| your knees like this? | | | | 3) Keep doing the activities that you find engaging |
| One minute you're standing strong, and the next | | | | and that bring you a sense of purpose and |
| minute a cutting remark or something they do just | | | | accomplishment. |
| rips you apart emotionally. This is what I call a | | | | I realize you may feel like you'd have no one to turn |
| dysfunctional family trigger. Something someone | | | | to if you dropped the dysfunctional people out of |
| says or does in your dysfunctional family wreaks | | | | your life. |
| havoc with your feelings of well-being. | | | | It's a scary proposition. That's why I suggest you |
| If you're trying to overcome low self-esteem, this | | | | see a therapist. A good therapeutic relationship can |
| can be a bit of a heartache for you. You're trying | | | | help make you feel safer as you make changes in |
| your best to break new ground in your life, and all of | | | | your life. It can help you understand why you react |
| a sudden someone is saying "you can't do it" or | | | | the way you do to your family, and more |
| some other negative remark. | | | | importantly, how to stop. |
| Of course, one of the most effective ways to build | | | | Dealing with dysfunctional family triggers can help you |
| self-esteem is to try things which engage and | | | | get rid of the negative drag in your life as you're |
| challenge you and to keep doing them. | | | | growing your sense of confidence. Instead of being |
| To do this, you have to be willing to put feelings of | | | | brought to your knees like Superman on Kryptonite, |
| "I'm not good enough" behind you and take action. | | | | you'll be a bit more like Superman leaping a tall |
| Of course, if you've got dysfunctional family triggers | | | | building. And that's something worth fighting for. |
| bringing you to your knees like Superman on | | | | |