Hi @depressiongirl
Thanks so much for getting back to us, and no worries at all about taking some time to reply. We're here whenever you need us 😊
I want to say a really big well done for putting those boundaries in place when deciding you don't want to contact your dad at the moment. This is such a great act of self-care to be able to put yourself and your own wellbeing first, and it is so important. I know how difficult it can be to do this, especially when it comes to family. I've had to do similar with my mum and it's such a hard thing to work through. But I am so, so glad to hear how strong you've been to recognise what your needs are and have focused on that first and foremost.
The way you describe how your body tenses up when you're with your dad is a really clear indicator of how you must be feeling inside as well. Our bodies often gives us signs that we're dealing with trauma before we even recognise it. This is a really great article about how trauma can show up in our bodies and has some coping strategies too. I'm wondering if you ended up reaching out to any of the support organisations that Philippa mentioned?
We are always here if you would like to talk about this more. And although you've decided not to have your dad in your life at the moment, you've still gone through something extremely traumatic and I imagine are still trying to deal with all of that. We want to be there for you for that too ❤️ How are you feeling about it all at the moment?
