Stage 1 · Lesson 7 of 7
When it is not pressure but danger
Most of this roadmap is about disagreement inside a loving family. Some situations are different. If you are being hit, threatened, locked in, cut off from food or money as punishment, forced into a marriage, stopped from leaving, or pushed to the point of thinking about harming yourself, this is not a communication problem.
Your safety comes first, before any conversation technique. Talk to someone you trust outside the home, such as a teacher, a university counsellor or a relative who is safe. Use Find A Helpline to find a confidential crisis or support line in your country, and contact local emergency services if you are in immediate danger. The mental health roadmap at /roadmaps/mental-health/ covers getting support.
Common traptelling yourself it is normal because it happens in other families too.
A question to check yourself come when you add the roadmap to your account. Add it
Resources for this stage
Start with· follow one of these
- BookPaidDifficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most
Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, Sheila Heen (Penguin Books) · Paid book
The best book on separating what happened, feelings and identity in a hard family talk
- VideoFreeWhy We All Need to Practice Emotional First Aid (Guy Winch, TEDxLinnaeusUniversity)
Guy Winch (TEDxLinnaeusUniversity)
A short talk on looking after yourself when guilt and rejection hit hard
Keep handy
Also worth your time
Struggling right now? If you are in danger or thinking about harming yourself, contact local emergency services or a crisis line: Find a helpline (any country), Umang (Pakistan), Tele-MANAS, 14416 (India).