My mom and dad split when I was about 4. I saw my dad every other weekday but now after 9 years, I don’t see him at all. Now my life is full of anxiety, ocd, add, and depression. I wake up everyday asking myself if he will ever come back.
SOMETHING TO CONSIDER NOW:
- Thank you for writing in and sharing your story. It sounds like your parents’ divorce left quite an impact on you. We are sorry to hear that you are struggling with the loss. If you read our STORIES page, we hope you will find that you are not alone. Also, you might look at our web tab LEARN and check out our information on GRIEF and LOSS.
- Some useful, reputable, and informative websites with great information about mental health in the united states are: SAMHSA – Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and Home | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness
- Also, if you need to talk, you can utilize the Crisis Textline Available 24/7 Text “HELLO” to 741741 www.crisistextline.org
IF YOU ARE UP FOR IT:
- One of the key component to being able to overcome tough times is having positive, supportive mentors/adults in your life. Consider what adult in your life that you can talk to about your feelings? Do you have a trusted family friend, aunt/uncle, guidance counselor, or therapist? If you cannot identify one off hand that you can share your feelings with, consider who you could try to talk to or how to link with a therapy service. Don’t rule out talking to your parents, even about divorce. They may not realize how you feel about the situation so consider talking to your family (without blame or judgement) and tell them how you feel. We understand you do not currently have contact with your father, but it may be useful to write a letter to him just to get the feelings out.
- Find ways to have more positive experiences and positive interactions. Consider trying to combat stress and anxiety with one of the TOOLS on our website. Things that help some people are: journaling, creating art, taking a walk, spending time with a pet, talking to a best friend, organizing things in your room, or doing physical activity. Thanks again for sharing. Remember, we might not be able to fully change some things in our lives, but we can change how we think about them.
