In case your family and friends let you down, we’ve compiled the best selection of unsupportive family quotes. Losing confidence and self-esteem can result from not receiving support from the people we love the most. This can have a very negative impact on our mental health. If there is any solace in these circumstances, it is the knowledge that many other individuals are going through the same thing since this familial dynamic is terribly typical. I hope that these sayings about toxic families can provide you some comfort, and perhaps these affirmations for self-love can encourage you to believe in your own value.
Unsupportive Family Quotes
- “Letting go doesn’t mean that you don’t care about someone anymore. It’s just realizing that the only person you really have control over is yourself.” — Deborah Reber
- “You can miss a person every day and still be glad that they are no longer in your life.” —Tara Westover
- “Some people are in such utter darkness that they will burn you just to see a light. Try not to take it personally.” —Kamand Kojouri
- “You cannot expect to live a positive life if you hang with negative people.” — Joel Osteen
- “There is no support so strong as the strength that enables one to stand alone.” —Ellen Glasgow
- “If you expect nothing, you can never be disappointed.” —Tonya Hurley
- “Let’s get out of the habit of telling people, ‘That’s still your mom, your dad, or your sister.’ Toxic is toxic. You are allowed to walk away from people that constantly hurt you.” – @bynnada
- “You may not realize it now but your path is being made clear. Keep walking by faith.” —Tony Gaskins
- “If the family you choose before your birth no longer supports your path towards fulfilling your true destiny, it is never too late to find a new tribe.” – Anthon St. Maarten
- “If you allow people to make more withdrawals than deposits in your life, you will be out of balance and in the negative. Know when to close that account.” – Christie Williams
- “It’s not because things are difficult that we do not dare. It is because we do not dare that things are difficult.” —Seneca
- “Blood doesn’t make you family. Some of the most demonic and demeaning people in your life share your DNA.” – Temi Ade
- “Mindfulness won’t ensure you’ll win an argument with your sister. Mindfulness won’t enable you to bypass your feelings of anger or hurt, either. But it may help you see the conflict in a new way, one that allows you to break through old patterns.” – Sharon Salzberg
- “Ending the toxic cycle within your own life isn’t easy. When you don’t come from a healthy family, you do your best to ensure a healthy one comes from you.” – Steve Maraboli
- “The path to freedom is illuminated by the bridges you have burned, adorned by the ties you have cut, and cleared by the drama you have left behind. Let go. Be free.” – Steve Maraboli
- “It always amazes me how swiftly problems can be solved, once you start cutting things off people.” – Joe Abercrombie
- “Avoid negative people, for they are the greatest destroyers of self-confidence and self-esteem. Surround yourself with people who bring out the best in you!” – Auliq Ice
- “If the family you choose before your birth no longer supports your path towards fulfilling your true destiny, it is never too late to find a new tribe.” – Anthon St. Maarten
- “The more dysfunctional, the more some family members seek to control the behavior of others.” –David W. Earle
- “A toxic mother talks but never listens, and she gives advice but never takes any.” – Sherrie Campbell
- “Our family was stuck in a cosmic hamster wheel of toxic love – making the same mistakes, saying the same words, being hurt in the same ways generation after generation. I didn’t want to keep playing a role in this tragedy of errors.” —Yamile Saied Méndez
- “See, I think there are roads that lead us to each other. But in my family, there were no roads, just underground tunnels. I think we all got lost in those underground tunnels. No, not lost. We just lived there.” – Benjamin Alire Sáenz
- “The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other’s life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof.” —Richard Bach
- “Family or not, I will cut you off. That saying “but that’s family” means nothing if a family is toxic and means you no good.” – Morgan Sharee
- “A family is a social system and if that system is dysfunctional, the ramifications for the children growing up within it are grave. In what is known as generational drug addiction, the adult children of drug addicts and alcoholics are quietly suffering all over the world. By the time the children have grown up, dysfunction has been deeply ingrained in mind, body, and brain.” – Christopher Dines
- “Everyone needs a house to live in, but a supportive family is what builds a home.” — Anthony Liccione
- “The most merciful thing that a family does to one of its infant members is to kill it.” —Margaret Sanger
- “You can love them, forgive them, want good things for them…but still move on without them.” – Mandy Hale
- “Family is supposed to be our safe haven. Very often, it’s the place where we find the deepest heartache.” – Iyanla Vanzant
- “I’ve learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you’ll miss them when they’re gone from your life.” — Maya Angelou
- “Surround yourself with people that reflect who you want to be and how you want to feel, energies are contagious.” – Rachel Wolchin
- “I used to think the worst thing in life was to end up all alone. It’s not. The worst thing in life is to end up with people that make you feel all alone.” – Robin William
- “The harsh truth of every relationship, even between those who love each other, like fathers and sons and daughters, or husbands and wives, is that the love is always unequal.” – Karl Taro Greenfeld
- “Dear Family, please continue to include me in your activities when it’s convenient for you, and then act confused and upset when I ignore you.” – The Black Sheep
- “Just because someone is your family doesn’t mean you have to keep them around if they are toxic or abusive. Don’t let people guilt you.” —Winnie Nantongo
- “A warm house does not always depend on its structures, but depends on the heat of relationship that all members have towards each other.” – Ky Vanchay
- “If you think you need to earn enough points on someone’s rubric for them to accept you, then either you’re wrong to assume they won’t love you for who you are, or they never loved you in the first place.” – Zack Smedley
- “A family can be the bane of one’s existence. A family can also be most of the meaning of one’s existence. I don’t know whether my family is bane or meaning, but they have surely gone away and left a large hole in my heart.” – Keri Hulme
- “In one family, all goes by two and two. If a member of it has any interest, he or she will confide it to someone other, but the rest know nothing. In another family, all feel what touches one, nothing is kept dark from the father and mother, brothers and sisters all share. This family habit is by far the better, it strengthens the tie between the members, and makes the home one home.” – Charles Buxton
- “There is an interconnectedness among members that bonds the family, much like mountain climbers who rope themselves together when climbing a mountain, so that if someone should slip or need support, he’s held up by the others until he regains his footing.” – Phil McGraw
- “I told my kids when they were little, look, kids, your mother and I are screwing you up somehow. We don’t understand how, or we wouldn’t do it. But we’re parents.” – Pat Conroy
- “I explain to my patients that abused children often find it hard to disentangle themselves from their dysfunctional families, whereas children grow away from good, loving parents with far less conflict. After all, isn’t that the task of a good parent, to enable the child to leave home?” – Irvin Yalom
- “I was in denial of the glaring reality that my existence depended on my willingness to comply with the family policy of me earning the splinter of space they granted to me.” – M. Wakefield
- “You are today where your thoughts have brought you. You will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you.” – James Allen
- “I’m going for it. Every part of my body says to jump and fly, no matter how hard voices like Shay and my parents try to ground me. I understand their realism, but I don’t want to look back and regret not taking the plunge.” – Krista Richie
- “When we are raised in toxic families, we often go through a time period, and for some of us, a lifetime, of repeating the toxic patterns we were raised in with other people in our lives. We do this until we decide we’ve had enough pain and choose to genuinely examine our patterns and stop the craziness for good.” – Sherrie Campbell
- “Our family was stuck in a cosmic hamster wheel of toxic love—making the same mistakes, saying the same words, being hurt in the same ways generation after generation. I didn’t want to keep playing a role in this tragedy of errors.” – Yamile Saied Méndez
- “Unfortunately, some family members are so psychotic that no matter how hard you try to forge a healthy relationship, nothing will help. Now that you’re an adult, take refuge in the fact that some things are beyond your control. You owe it to yourself to steer clear of people who are harmful to your health.” – Andrea Lavinthal
- “If you allow people to make more withdrawals than deposits in your life, you will be out of balance and in the negative. Know when to close that account.” – Christie Williams
- “But the people who mattered were the people you chose instead of the people who were yours by an accident of birth. Real family was heart as much as, if not more than, blood.” – Martina Boone
Understanding the Causes of Unsupportive Families
There are many reasons why families may be unsupportive of their members. In some cases, the family may have experienced a traumatic event which has caused them to become distant. For example, if a family has gone through a divorce, this can lead to a breakdown in communication and support within the family. Another common reason is that family members may have different values or beliefs. This could cause conflict between family members and lead to a lack of support.
In other cases, family members may be too busy or may not have the resources to provide meaningful support. For example, if a family is struggling financially, they may be unable to provide the necessary resources to help one of their members. Similarly, a single parent may not have the time to provide the necessary emotional or practical support to their child.
In addition, family dynamics can also play a role in how supportive a family is. If one family member is domineering and seeks to dictate the behavior of others, this can inhibit the ability for other family members to express their opinions and feelings. This can lead to feelings of resentment and a lack of support. Ultimately, understanding the causes of unsupportive families is the first step towards creating a more supportive and loving environment.
Overcoming the Challenges of an Unsupportive Family
- Understand that you are not alone.
It can be difficult to feel like you are the only one going through something when it feels like everyone else around you has it all together. But it is important to remember that everyone has their own struggles, even if they don’t show it on the outside. You are not alone in feeling like your family is unsupportive. - Talk to someone who understands.
If you are feeling lost and alone, reach out to someone who understands what you are going through. Talk to a friend, therapist, or counselor who can offer you support and guidance. It can be helpful to talk to someone who has been through a similar experience and can offer advice on how to cope. - Set boundaries with your family.
It is important to set boundaries with your family in order to protect yourself from their negative behavior. Let them know what you will and will not tolerate from them. This will help to establish a boundary between you and them that they cannot cross. - Focus on the positive.
It can be easy to dwell on the negative when you feel like your family is unsupportive. But it is important to focus on the positive aspects of your life, such as your friends, hobbies, or other interests. This will help you to remember that there are people in your life who do care about you and want to see you succeed. - Don’t give up on yourself.
It is easy to feel like giving up when you feel like no one believes in you but it is important to remember that you believe in yourself. You are the only one who knows what you are capable of achieving so never give up on yourself, no matter how hard it gets
Faq
How do you deal with unsupportive families?
One way to cope with unsupportive family members is to take a step back and try to see the situation from their perspective. This can help one understand their behavior or reactions better, hopefully allowing one to find some common ground or mutual understanding.
Why are families unsupportive?
Families may be unsupportive for a variety of reasons. In some cases, it may be due to cultural or societal pressures; parents may want their children to follow certain conventions that they themselves were brought up with, even if these values are not in line with the individual’s own preferences and beliefs. Unsupportive family members may also believe that their behavior is beneficial for their child in the long run – even if it might seem unkind or hurtful at times.
Final Thoughts
Unsupportive families can cause a great deal of stress and pain in an individual’s life. However, it is important to understand that the root causes of unsupportiveness can stem from a variety of factors such as mental health issues, differences in beliefs and values, past traumas and experiences, and a lack of communication and trust. Be grateful and it is important to seek support from friends, therapists, or support groups to help navigate these difficult relationships.