[Pavlov's Cat]

Most people choose to be ok, but sometimes people take advantage of me because it's easy. My employer once just didn't give me my bonus even though I asked several times, or other times people at school call me names because they learned they can get away with it, my father and sister never have any respect for my personal time, and so on and so forth.

Now I feel someone else is taking advantage, perhaps not of me, but of a close relative, but it affects me by association. It's not my responsibility, and my parents told me to not say anything for now. I tell myself that my parents should be able to investigate the situation and hopefully take care of it as they seem capable and confrontational enough, but nevertheless it fills me with depression to contemplate that perhaps I am being taken for a fool once again, if only by association with this close relative and my parents who are involved.

I normally see everyone in my family as being more capable and strong than me, so I put faith in them to be able to handle things like this, even though I am an adult now.

I can only hope they don't feel as ashamed and impotent as I do. My response to moments like this is sometimes to self-harm or try to distract myself with self-improvement.

[MickeyCheeky]

My advice is to cut away toxic people from your life. Perhaps you also need to work on your self-esteem.. have you tried to read some books on the subject?

[Pavlov's Cat]

Originally Posted by MickeyCheeky

My advice is to cut away toxic people from your life. Perhaps you also need to work on your self-esteem.. have you tried to read some books on the subject?

No that is one area which i haven't really explored. It probably won't do much good, unless you can think of one aspect of it that has to do with dealing emotionally with being dominated.

[WishfulThinker66]

Good thread. I wonder if there is anyone out there who can honestly say they have never been taken advantage of. We all have a limit in which we will bend I think. Some of us I am sure get taken advantage of more than others - and it bloody well isn't fair. Would seeking out a way to increase your assertiveness be at all practical? Is there another person who you could have be on your side or even advocate for you? Ultimately, as a poster above wisely suggested, you may have to cut such people out of your day to day life.