"I was caught between wanting to help and wanting to get away from that energy. And also because, honestly, victimhood puts me on alert.
When someone settles into the role of victim... that place where one disconnects from one's own power, it repels me... I know that victimhood is often a passive way of manipulating or not taking responsibility. In the end, we're still going to have to take charge of the emotional situation and get ourselves out of it."
This is a powerful analysis. I, too, know someone who is continuously in a state of "victimhood," and it is quite exhausting to deal with her. She imagines things, doesn't listen to advice, makes poor choices, then suffers more as a result of it, perpetuating a never-ending circle of drama. I've terminated friendships with such people in the past because I couldn't handle it any longer, but it's harder when it is a family member doing it. 😕