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If I Hold My Head Tight Enough, It Won't Explode: dealing with a needy parent
SECOND EDITION is forthcoming in digital and paper editions.
Does your parent's behavior rule the day? is he or she like a self-indulgent adolescent or angry or sullen, attention-seeking or non-communicative? Is there a rapid cycling of moods? This is a guide to saving your sanity while helping your parent regain a personal identity and self-satisfaction by assuming responsibility for his or her own happiness and health ( both physical and mental).
Written by a Psychiatric Nurse this slim volume is a collection of ideas, designed to help you deal with the emotional anarchy of a needy parent. It won't provide you 'the' answer but it will guide you back through your past and help you review your present so you can see where your relationship with your parent is and where it should be. It is important to remind yourself: somehow, somewhere along the way, you became the surrogate ‘parent’.
The suggestions from the author's experience as a mental health nurse and her own issues with her parent will give you ideas on bettering your own relationship. You have to gain clarity in dealing with a needy parent and not just ‘go along’ with the day’s demands for the sake of a potential moment of peace. Assessing, Planning, Intervening, and Evaluating your life together is paramount for your future, for your own mental and physical health.
The suggested tools and checklists will help you analyze your situation and start exploring options in your locale. An Appendix of organizations, references, and quick meal ideas are also included.
This guide is meant to be simply a starting point for you to examine your relationship with your parent. You likely already know changes must be made.
From the author:
'Instead of offering you my war stories, I believe my book will prove more useful to share my forensics and research so you don’t encounter as many dead ends and false starts as I did…especially if you have only small-town options available. Just remember, anything can be made workable with the right attitude and right people. You just have to start, to make that phone call, and then the next one. It takes persistence, but when you succeed, you’ll find you have time to celebrate even the small stuff.'
Does your parent's behavior rule the day? is he or she like a self-indulgent adolescent or angry or sullen, attention-seeking or non-communicative? Is there a rapid cycling of moods? This is a guide to saving your sanity while helping your parent regain a personal identity and self-satisfaction by assuming responsibility for his or her own happiness and health ( both physical and mental).
Written by a Psychiatric Nurse this slim volume is a collection of ideas, designed to help you deal with the emotional anarchy of a needy parent. It won't provide you 'the' answer but it will guide you back through your past and help you review your present so you can see where your relationship with your parent is and where it should be. It is important to remind yourself: somehow, somewhere along the way, you became the surrogate ‘parent’.
The suggestions from the author's experience as a mental health nurse and her own issues with her parent will give you ideas on bettering your own relationship. You have to gain clarity in dealing with a needy parent and not just ‘go along’ with the day’s demands for the sake of a potential moment of peace. Assessing, Planning, Intervening, and Evaluating your life together is paramount for your future, for your own mental and physical health.
The suggested tools and checklists will help you analyze your situation and start exploring options in your locale. An Appendix of organizations, references, and quick meal ideas are also included.
This guide is meant to be simply a starting point for you to examine your relationship with your parent. You likely already know changes must be made.
From the author:
'Instead of offering you my war stories, I believe my book will prove more useful to share my forensics and research so you don’t encounter as many dead ends and false starts as I did…especially if you have only small-town options available. Just remember, anything can be made workable with the right attitude and right people. You just have to start, to make that phone call, and then the next one. It takes persistence, but when you succeed, you’ll find you have time to celebrate even the small stuff.'
53 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2015
About the author
Kimberly Coleman
8 books17 followersKimberly Coleman lives in Ireland with her husband and their two dogs. She is the winner of several screenwriting awards and has a short film that was an Official Selection in seven film festivals. She is a Registered Nurse and also has a Master's Degree in English...with the latter, she learned to love the classics and European drama.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 11, 2015
I decided to download this book as this is a difficult subject for me to talk about to others and I needed to get some help. I love my mom, but feel as though she can be very needy from her kids. Lately it has been very hard to deal with and I have recognized prior to downloading the book that some changes need to be made. I have been feeling like I am unable to live the life I want and feel controlled by the neediness. The book is written by a psychiatric nurse who has dealt with similar problems with her parent. It can be difficult to overcome and I feel bad for my mom since she cannot be self-sufficient. I wanted to help her to find a life again and be more confident in herself, while regaining a life of my own. I found that the book had a lot of useful ideas and I am confident that this will help our relationship grow in the way that I hoped for it to be.
June 16, 2015
I bought this book because my mother is very demanding, strict, and over-protective of me. I recently learned that her behavior can end up causing me problems later in my life.
This book really helped to explain how I can deal with my mother. It showed me that a parental relationship is not supposed to be one of stronghold, but rather one of guidance to make good decisions. I am using this book as a sidekick to therapy, so that me and my psychologist can work together to come up with a solution. This book has given me so much hope that I can overcome the feelings of guilt and attachment that have been plaguing me!
This book really helped to explain how I can deal with my mother. It showed me that a parental relationship is not supposed to be one of stronghold, but rather one of guidance to make good decisions. I am using this book as a sidekick to therapy, so that me and my psychologist can work together to come up with a solution. This book has given me so much hope that I can overcome the feelings of guilt and attachment that have been plaguing me!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews