Do you ever feel panicked because you are unsure of why your parents, friends and spouse make statements or behave strangely towards you? Frustration that your loved one doesn’t understand you, may feel like they are giving up on you. Thoughts that may cross your mind ; “Are they abandoning me?” and “Are they hurting me on purpose?” This can lead you to look for ways to get rid of these intense emotions and awful thoughts. Cutting, alcohol and drug addiction, promiscuity and other self-destructive behaviors become unhealthy ways of coping with feeling unloved and not accepted.

Often times, your loved one doesn’t realize why you are panicking, behaving in self-destructive ways or how they may be hurting you. The miscommunication and lack of understanding can cause terrible storms in your life. Learning to manage your emotional response and being mindful will help you stop unhealthy coping patterns and help you become more effective in your relationships.

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy can help you stabilize your emotions, manage uncomfortable feelings and learn to respond rather than react to situations. It is important to observe, describe and participate in the emotion that you are experiencing before jumping to conclusions such as your loved one is abandoning you. This will help to decrease your initial panic when things seem uncomfortable in your relationships.

Lifeskills South Florida has an adult residential treatment center, as well as an outpatient treatment center in Delray Beach, Florida, that can help you or a loved one face the challenges of substance use disorders, while stabilizing mental health issues, and managing personality disorders. The Lifeskills South Florida residential offices can be reached at 954-953-1742.