An HONEST and BOLD confession from a DAUGHTER IN LAW

Nisha was 24 years old when she chose to marry the man of her dreams. She thought she will find a home away from her home, but to her surprise she felt only like a stranger with a lot to give and much less to take. Symbolised as an epitome of caregiver, she was now too exhausted to not being herself anymore at a place which she is SUPPOSED to call HOME.

After struggling to fit in for past 2 years and failing, she had a breakdown and frequent fights with her mother in law. She was upset and felt hopeless.

How Counselor Shreya helped to communicate with her in-laws

• Exploring Nisha’s struggles and her needs that she feels are not being met- Letting her vent
• Her main struggle is the gap in communication that is present with her Mother-In-Law, her claim was “she never understands my point of view, I am always wrong according to her”
• She felt burdened by endless expectations, she did the best she could but it never seemed enough.
• Her communication was restricted to her husband, and she felt hindrance in talking to her in-laws.
• There was no positive outlet to regulate her emotions, or release her work-life stress.

How Nisha felt better

• With the help of stress management , her stress handling coping mechanism was improved on, so that she could have a better control over her feelings of anxiousness and everyday stress
• Communication skills and dynamics with her family and her comfort level was explored, how to develop healthy communication along with her efforts were put into perspective.
• Work Life balance was restored with a priority evaluation and time management
• Her belief “she thinks I am always wrong” was clarified, it seemed she never asked where she went wrong. She assumed.
• Healthy boundaries were established in the family regarding realistic and unrealistic expectations. This helped her to gain the confidence to have a clear discussion with her in-laws which also gave her the confidence to communicate her needs without a compromise.