I lost my mum and my whole family fell apart

Hi guys,

I've posted on here several times before, my mum passed away from a shock diagnosis of bowel cancer in March 2021. 
Since then life just hasn't been the same. 
The behaviour of my siblings has deteriorated drastically, as they have no-one to tell them off. It's gone from bad to worse, and I don't ever see it getting better.                                        Me ( female 28) and my brother (male 25) recently got into an argument, which ended in him physically attacking me. I don't really see a way forward after this. He has alot of anger in him from losing my mum, but at the same time that shouldn't be an excuse. 
I can't believe my life has come to this. Literally three years ago, I had my mum and my life was perfect. I can't believe it's fallen apart so much. I can't believe my family is like this now.

I'm scared to open up about this to any friends or anyone because I'm just so embarrassed and hurt. 

I honestly feel so lost and don't see the point in living anymore. I feel like im mourning my mum all over and no-one understands the pain. 
I need her more than ever. I just don't know how to carry on. Please can someone help me 

Parents
  • [@RSxo]‍ I am so sorry to hear about your Mum and the profound impact her passing has had on you and your family. As [@RoseStarBlue]‍ said, grief comes in many forms and it seems that as many men do, your brother is stuck in anger right now. What were your family dynamics like before your mum passed away? Was she the peacekeeper? Did you all get along or did you need guidance? 

    All that grief you're all feeling needs somewhere to go. Right now it seems (although I am only guessing by what you have said, I could be wrong) that you're all bottling up the negative emotions and they come crashing out in hurtful words and violence. You need to find a way to talk about your grief - and whilst I understand that you may not feel comfortable doing so, it's incredibly important for your own mental well-being and would also set the example for your siblings for how to cope with overwhelming emotion and loss. There has already been some great suggestions for therapy or support groups, all of whom are absolutely fantastic, but I also recommend talking about how you feel with a friend. It doesn't need to be every single detail, but just enough to know you don't have to pretend with somebody. There's absolutely no need to be embarrassed or concerned with how others view you, because trust me everybody's so hung up on their own stuff!

    Life is never going to be the same - if it was, it would diminish the wonderful light that your Mum was in the world. But it can still be good, in a different way. You just need to find a place for your outpouring of grief, and accept that grief can be ugly whilst setting clear boundaries that violence towards you is unacceptable.

    I hope you find peace, safety and compassion soon. It is there, and available to you, but you need to allow yourself to be vulnerable enough to accept it. Sending much love, hugs and good thoughts to you xxx

Reply
  • [@RSxo]‍ I am so sorry to hear about your Mum and the profound impact her passing has had on you and your family. As [@RoseStarBlue]‍ said, grief comes in many forms and it seems that as many men do, your brother is stuck in anger right now. What were your family dynamics like before your mum passed away? Was she the peacekeeper? Did you all get along or did you need guidance? 

    All that grief you're all feeling needs somewhere to go. Right now it seems (although I am only guessing by what you have said, I could be wrong) that you're all bottling up the negative emotions and they come crashing out in hurtful words and violence. You need to find a way to talk about your grief - and whilst I understand that you may not feel comfortable doing so, it's incredibly important for your own mental well-being and would also set the example for your siblings for how to cope with overwhelming emotion and loss. There has already been some great suggestions for therapy or support groups, all of whom are absolutely fantastic, but I also recommend talking about how you feel with a friend. It doesn't need to be every single detail, but just enough to know you don't have to pretend with somebody. There's absolutely no need to be embarrassed or concerned with how others view you, because trust me everybody's so hung up on their own stuff!

    Life is never going to be the same - if it was, it would diminish the wonderful light that your Mum was in the world. But it can still be good, in a different way. You just need to find a place for your outpouring of grief, and accept that grief can be ugly whilst setting clear boundaries that violence towards you is unacceptable.

    I hope you find peace, safety and compassion soon. It is there, and available to you, but you need to allow yourself to be vulnerable enough to accept it. Sending much love, hugs and good thoughts to you xxx

Children
No Data