How do I stop letting my family hurt me?

Here are seven ways to pursue just that — and center your own emotional well-being in the process.

1. Get Clear. Reflect on your relationships with family.
2. Take a Breather. Sometimes space is the best option.
3. Negotiate New Terms.
4. Boundaries are Best.
5. Let Go of the Fantasy.
6. Start Fresh.
7. Focus on the Family You Build.

Can you fall in love again with someone who hurt you?

To fall in love again after being hurt may be very hard to get over, but it shouldn’t appear as a barrier whenever you interact with someone who has potential. Your past heartbreak shouldn’t affect your present.

Why don’t we talk to people who have been hurt?

Their shame leads to denial and self-deception that overrides their ability to orient toward reality—and no person can be more honest with us than they can be with their own self. Before you open up a conversation with a person who has harmed you, keep in mind that protecting yourself comes first.

Can a person feel remorseful if they don’t love you?

No individual will feel accountable and genuinely remorseful—no matter how well you communicate—if doing so threatens to define him or her in an unacceptable or intolerable way. But the other person’s willingness to own up to harmful deeds has nothing to do with how much she or he does or doesn’t love you.

Why don’t people apologize for their harmful actions?

Most people who commit serious harm never get to the point at which they can admit to their harmful actions, much less apologize and work to repair them. Their shame leads to denial and self-deception that overrides their ability to orient toward reality—and no person can be more honest with us than they can be with their own self.

How do you talk to someone who has harmed you?

Before you open up a conversation with a person who has harmed you, keep in mind that protecting yourself comes first. Reduce your expectations for getting the response you want and deserve to zero.