Marie

Hi, Dr. John.

How are you?

I'm just, you know, waiting to talk to you.

I've listened to you for a couple of years and, you know, I really appreciate your insight and your expertise.

So thank you so much for taking my call.

So I'll just, you know, I'll start on my question and, you know, I can provide, you know, whatever context you need.

So my question is, how do you set boundaries around family and familial obligations when those obligations feel like self-abandonment?

Well, you know, just I guess to provide a little bit of context of the situation, you know, I just moved back to my hometown two years ago.

And, you know, with the holidays coming up and everything, and now that I'm here, you know, I'm expected to attend, you know, these family events.

But, you know, just to be quite frank with you, you know, I don't really enjoy being around my extended family.

And the reason for that is

you know, um, the way they talk about people, their behavior, you know, just, just to be, you know, put it out there, you know, they use slurs.

They, they, they say things that are just, that make me very uncomfortable.

And I'm just kind of expected to let them be as they are and not cause anything.

Because if I say something, I'm labeled the troublemaker.

I'm too sensitive.

I I'm trying to start things.

And, um, but yeah,

you know, attending these events, I just feel like not having to be around this behavior is not me being true to like my values and the things that I think are right.

Right.