VENT: Mental Health

Hi everyone, I’ve been struggling with my mental health lately and just need a place to let it out. When my husband and I found out we were expecting, we were overjoyed. Everything seemed to be falling into place, and we were excited to find a home to raise our family. But when things didn’t go as planned, we ended up moving in with his parents temporarily. We used to have a great relationship with his family, but since we’ve started our own family, things have been slowly unraveling. One of the biggest challenges has been setting boundaries when it comes to our son. Simple requests, like reminding people to wash their hands after smoking or not slamming the door when the baby is napping, have become daily battles. This has been going on for almost a year now, and it’s frustrating to constantly have to remind people. Unfortunately, now it feels like everyone views us as rude or overly strict for simply wanting to protect our child. A few weeks ago, I was having a rough day. My husband could tell, so he gave me a hug in the kitchen, and I just broke down. I told him how overwhelmed I felt, not realizing someone in the living room overheard us. Due to a language barrier, things were misunderstood and blown out of proportion. Since then, it feels like I’m not allowed to express how I feel. I can’t cry or show my emotions without it becoming an issue. It’s exhausting, like I have to constantly bottle everything up, and no one seems to understand what we’re going through, especially with hormones running high. To make matters worse, we can’t escape for privacy or peace. We’re stuck in the middle of it all, pretending everything is okay when, in reality, it’s eating us alive. Mentally, both my husband and I are struggling. On top of that, some people in the house have been acting out with anger and aggression, and we’re terrified of our son being exposed to that environment. We try to stay positive for his sake, but deep down, I feel so unwelcome. Every day I try not to cry, but it’s overwhelming, and I never thought things would end up like this. Thank you for taking the time to read this.