Our ‘discussions’ often turned feral. I felt she was totally unreasonable and so then I’d say horrible things to her. This had been going on for a while and she felt I needed to change. We had been at a counsellor’s office and had seen the pamphlet for ReachOut; I just rang the number.
I started working with Gina (ReachOut Worker), and we have been working together for about 10 weeks now. She was easy to talk to, and not judgemental at all. I felt much better - much calmer. The big change has been in my thinking – I can recognise when I’m starting to get amped up. I now choose not to get rattled. I try walking away – that works well.
I realised that getting angry isn’t helping me. Even though we may still disagree, I know my own truth in my own head, so I don’t let the disagreement upset me. We’re all entitled to our own opinions, and I can respect that. The last time we argued I held it all together – I felt quite empowered and calm instead of seething, like before. The hardest thing is being consistent, but I’m doing this for myself – I’m really trying to be different.