Sadness for What Wasn't
Posted: January 28th, 2021, 6:26 pm
I hope I can explain this so it makes sense. Sometimes I get really sad thinking about all the normal things I never got to experience as a teen/young adult. I lived with my bipolar mother in a situation where I felt like the adult most of the time. I had to make sure the bills were paid, make sure she went to work and doctor appointments, keep the house together, etc. It was just the two of us.
So I'm 37 now and every once in a while strong sadness comes over me when I think about the kinds of things I never got to experience. It's often triggered by tv/movies where young people are doing young people kinds of things. I'm talking about hanging out with friends, getting into trouble, making out with girls, stuff like that. I never got to have the care-free time because I was too busy playing the adult role. I have a pretty good life now - wife, kids, decent-paying job...but this still gets to me at times.
How do I get over this? I would talk to a therapist about it, but I'm not even sure how to approach the topic. Can anyone relate to these feelings?
So I'm 37 now and every once in a while strong sadness comes over me when I think about the kinds of things I never got to experience. It's often triggered by tv/movies where young people are doing young people kinds of things. I'm talking about hanging out with friends, getting into trouble, making out with girls, stuff like that. I never got to have the care-free time because I was too busy playing the adult role. I have a pretty good life now - wife, kids, decent-paying job...but this still gets to me at times.
How do I get over this? I would talk to a therapist about it, but I'm not even sure how to approach the topic. Can anyone relate to these feelings?