How To Be Strong Without Your Parents' Support

The lack of support I receive makes me second-guess some of the decisions I have made.

woman free standing in front of water getty
Advertisement

By Samantha Proctor

Your parents’ opinions are sometimes the most valuable things you can get.

Their advice, guidance, and support are essential to know you are doing the right thing. And when you don’t receive that, it can be devastating. 

I spent years waiting for my parents help and it never came. I never got any kind of advice or guidance, and I never really know what I am doing.

All I know is that, hopefully, If I follow my heart, I might figure out what I want and where I am going.

Advertisement

RELATED: 5 Ways To Be The Parent Your Child Needs (At Every Age)

My parents didn’t fill me with hope or confidence. Instead, they sent me out on my own and hoped I would make it.

I was partially successful, but at the same time, made some mistakes I might not have made if someone was there to help me down the right path.

As much as I wanted and needed that confidence in myself, I didn’t have it because no one was there to lift me up when I doubted myself. There was no one to call and no one to go to when I had questions.

The lack of support I receive makes me second-guess some of the decisions I have made. The things I want to do and where I want to go are often ridiculed or questioned in my household. 

Advertisement

There’s not really anyone encouraging me to follow my dreams, but rather telling me that I need to do something practical.

The amount of support you receive can make or break you. And a lack of support can send you into self-doubt and cause you to quit.

Not having the right kind of support causes me to think I have made the wrong choices and makes me afraid to want to make any decisions anymore.

RELATED: 11 Signs You Were Raised By A Toxic Parent (And It's Affecting You Now)

However, as time has gone on, I have realized that with support or not, it’s still my life.

These are my decisions and choices I must make alone.

There may not always be someone around to tell me that I am doing the right thing and encourage my dreams and passions. So when I start second-guessing myself and the things I decide, I remember who I am and what I am capable of and I decide things that are going to make me happy.

Advertisement

I am not afraid of who I am, only that I will not live up to my full potential based on what others think of me. I live my life for me and no one else.

When it comes to my career or where I live or who I am with, those decisions are mine. The support would be nice, but it doesn’t come most of the time.

I understand that what I am doing and who I am does not fit the mold my family wants it to. I am not the person they need me to be.

Advertisement

But at the end of the day, it is my life. And I ultimately have to do what is best for me.

RELATED: 4 Ways To Stop Living For Your Parents (And Start Living The Life Of Happiness You Want)

Samantha Proctor is a writer and creator of Girl On The Go. She blogs about life, beauty, and inspiration for women.