Hi, I'm writing here because this a self help forum.It might be the wrong place to post it but I'll give it a go.
I'm a 62 year old female from a predominantly female family;three sisters.

I'm trying not to write this by sounding like a victim and am only genuinely puzzled and confused. I don't think I'm a bully as I've looked into that too.I'm very careful of what I say and how I say it with consideration of the other person.I like to have female friends and I appreciate their company.


I've done a lot of work on myself-12 years of psychanalysis and psychotherapy with a female therapist.

I have self esteem, self worth issues, am 25 years sober and am in active recovery.

I'm just learning to speak up, keeping my expectations of other people simple, sharing my experience or just my thoughts and when I try to contribute/say my piece ,politely and calmly, I get some sort of retaliation or put down by women-not just by close friends and family just generally.

It's happened a lot to me and since it's from different women in every circumstance, I'm sincerely questioning myself into a corner on how I communicate is coming across.I can't say"oh she's said that because... " "or she's going through something"I can't explain it away because it's a reccuring situation.

I'm generalizing because I can't put the onus on one woman, a work situation or a group of women and that's what's really depressing me and sending me into a downward spiral and isolation.It's affecting my sobriety and serenity( even my female sponsor is behaving strangely) So it must be me and something I'm doing or some emotion I'm communicating..I'm kind of regressing into silence which is not good.