Why Family Rifts Happen
You may have thought it would never happen to you: the estrangement between you and a family member. Maybe the rift is between you and an adult child, parent, or sibling. Family rifts can leave you feeling anxious, depressed, sad, unwanted, and unloved. What causes family rifts? In one large-scale survey, 27% of Americans admitted to being estranged from a family member. One in ten reported that family rifts were with a parent or child. Family rifts can develop gradually over time as circumstances and disagreements accumulate. However, family rifts can also occur suddenly when situations, personalities, and events come to a head. Disagreements about religion, politics, and sexual identity can lead to estrangement. Cases of past abuse, trauma, neglect, substance abuse, or betrayal can lead to family rifts with adult children. Signs That Your Family is Headed Toward Estrangement How do you know if your family is headed toward estrangement? You may notice an emotional distancing with your family member first. Perhaps they don't visit or call as often. They do not speak much when they are around and rarely make any physical contact. When you talk to one another, there may be an undercurrent of anger, resentment, or discontentment. If the family member typically falls into a role expectation, they may balk at the expectation. For example, if an adult child should care for an aging parent, they may walk away from that responsibility. How Family Rifts Can Impact Mental Health Family rifts take a toll on mental health. A relationship you spent years building has unraveled, and this detachment leads to chronic stress, anxiety, depression, and feelings of unworthiness. Low self-esteem and harmful coping mechanisms can also form from estrangement. The resulting stress can result in physical illnesses and lower immunity. How to Cope Sometimes family [...]