This Is What It Feels Like When People Are Never Happy With Your Efforts Because You Have a Disability

 

There was a post on the internet about living in chronic pain. There were many obvious effects, but the one that struck me most was how it can damage your self esteem because no matter how hard you try, people in your life will frequently be unhappy with you because you can’t do what you want.

I am not only limited by chronic pain. I also have a limp, a cane and limited use of my left arm. If this isn’t enough to make me suffer, I have family members complaining about my inability to do things “normally”. I lived with my husband complaining about me for 16 years after I had a stroke. I suppose that behavior would be expected from children, and they also were unhappy with me through no fault of my own. My husband moved out three years ago so the expressions of discontent are less frequent from him. My sons are still at home and have improved slightly as they have matured.

I certainly have tried my best to recover for myself. There are going to be limits, though. I know that disappointment is caused by having expectations of others. I can’t help having the basic expectation from members of my family to feel compassion and empathy, maybe.

I usually avoid using the word “never” to describe the actions of others, but I just noticed I used it in my title here. “Always” and “Never” are rarely true.