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Difficult relationship with DSis - how do I stand up for myself without causing an argument with her?

11 replies

Pariswhenitdrizzles · 26/09/2017 09:11

This is really personal, so sorry for posting this, but I feel like I really need some advice please. (If the Daily Mail are reading and would like to use for their own ends, they can buzz off now).

Thanks for any advice you might have :)

My relationship with my DSis isn't great, unfortunately. We're now in our mid-twenties, and I'm a bit worried that we'll never improve it, as time is passing quite fast and we keep on lapsing into the same old habits and sniping at each other as if we're still teenagers. It's stressing us both out. We're twins, if that makes any difference.

I spoke to another close relative who knows us both very well about our relationship recently. They said that they're still trying to work our relationship out. I took this to mean that they don't really understand why we behave the way we do towards each other.

To give some context, I am aware of (some of) my faults and the things that I do that annoy or upset my DSis. One of the problems that I have (and I'm absolutely fully aware that this is not appropriate or okay) is that I tend to explode when I've reached my stress limit, and I can get really frustrated.

I'm really trying to work on this. It sounds like a bit of a cliché, but what's worked well for me so far is trying to remove myself from the situation by taking a step back and taking a few deep breaths to calm myself down works well.

In terms of what upsets me about my DSis's behaviour, it's things that sound very trivial. These things happen so much though that it just gets to a point where I find it very hard to take any more.

An example is my DSis constantly interrupting conversations that I'm having with others (e.g. family or friends) to talk about her own plans (e.g. my friend did X recently, or I'm planning on going on holiday to X, or I think this about X). It sounds so trivial, but just gets so frustrating, as we lose the thread of our conversation and end up talking to her about her plans, which just monopolises everything.

Another thing is, because I work part-time and am currently looking for a full-time job. She works full-time in a very prestigious company, and is doing very well and is on a very good salary. She'll tell me that I've 'never held down a job in my life' (not true), that I 'only work part-time' so if we're ever meant to organise anything together, it's always left up to me because I have 'much more time than her and hardly work'. A recent example is when I had to make something for a family member (I wrote about it in a different thread), and DSis refused to get involved in making it, but then told me that the thing I made 'looked shit' when she saw it. It felt like a slap in the face.

She never says 'please' or 'thank you' because she told me that she doesn't think they're important to say. She'll also say 'can you do X...?' to me or my Dad when we're all at home, and if I say 'no, sorry', I get called out by my DM for being rude.

My DSis is also always late for anything we've planned to do together, or she doesn't turn up to things we have planned because she's forgotten about them, even though I (and other family members) have reminded her several times and she promises that she'll remember.

She'll also invite me to do things at her house with her friends or housemates, and then tell me off for talking to them or sharing a joke with them because they're 'her' friends and I should 'watch how I behave' because I'm in 'her' house.

What do I do? Do I just stop seeing her at her house and only see her in public? It's really really getting me down.

OP posts:
Pariswhenitdrizzles · 26/09/2017 09:22

Bump. (Sorry my OP's so long!)

OP posts:
Allthebestnamesareused · 26/09/2017 09:26

She's definitely the 'evil' twin. She has a superiority complex and likes to let you know she thinks she is better. Personally I would disengage for a while and see if she even notices. If she does and says something like I haven't seen you for ages- just reply that you thought you weren't really welcome as part of her every day life. I suspect she is too selfish and thick skinned to notice you have put sny distance between you.

However if the distance thing work for you maybe suggest you do something together (spa day, relaxing, say I wish we could spend more quality time etc and see how she responds).

My sister is 18 months younger than me and we have grown further apart and she doesn't buy for my kids but I do for hers etc. Its hard to ser other friends with close families but I have accepted that mine isn't.

Allthebestnamesareused · 26/09/2017 09:27

Excuse typos- stubby fingers on phone

52FestiveRoad · 26/09/2017 09:31

She'll also invite me to do things at her house with her friends or housemates, and then tell me off for talking to them or sharing a joke with them because they're 'her' friends and I should 'watch how I behave' because I'm in 'her' house.

That bit is easy, just decline any more invites to her house. I second making it must more distant between you, just withdraw and not see her so much. If questioned just be vague and quote general busyness as a reason. Then get on with your own life. Although you are twins your lives do not have to be identical, so do your own thing.

Mittens1969 · 26/09/2017 09:36

You could be describing my relationship with my DSis! She's 2 years younger than me and we've always had a competitive relationship with ups and downs but we've always had each other's back when the chips have been down!

What improved our relationship actually was the fact that we have kids the same age who absolutely adore spending time together so we had to put the competitive rubbish to one side (though not totally). We also don't see each other very often now as they've moved away as a family.

It might help you to see less of each other, so you start to appreciate each other more. Sounds like you're the one who really needs the space tbh.

HTH.

OrangeJulius · 26/09/2017 09:40

I agree distance is the way to go here.

I'm not sure you can stand up for yourself without causing an argument with someone like this. I am currently witnessing a turn in my mum's relationship with her sister. My mum has tolerated and enabled her sister's bad behaviour all their lives, "because she's my only sister," but now as an OAP has hit her limit and is standing up for herself. It took about 2 seconds for her sister to tell her she was horrible and to stop speaking to her.

orangeowls · 26/09/2017 10:00

I remember your other post. To be honest she sounds hard work and I think you just need to distance yourself from her.

Pariswhenitdrizzles · 26/09/2017 11:22

Thanks so much for your advice everyone. Just bumping in case anyone has any further advice to add :)

OP posts:
SoupTroupe · 26/09/2017 12:07

I agree, more distance between you is needed.
She's keeping you in this cycle of winding you up, you rise to the bait and then you're seen as the bad one.
Stay away from her and her friends, stick to your own mates, give her minimal information on your life, don't give her the satisfaction of seeing you pissed off or upset. Try and stay emotionally cool, polite etc but detach.
You'll be happier and on the plus side she'll be annoyed by it :)

TalkinBoutNuthin · 26/09/2017 12:16

Start focussing on yourself for awhile, without letting her know what is going on with you.

So keep looking for that full time job, but don't tell her what you apply for etc. (As an aside, would some training help?)

Focus on your own friends and if anyone says anything 'oh I think it's very healthy for twins to have their own lives and own friends, and not live in each other's pockets, don't you?'

If your DM is siding with her (which it sounds like), you might need to draw away from your DM a little bit as well. Practice some responses to 'don't be rude' like 'Why is that rude?' or 'That wasn't rude.'

If it's bad habits that you have both got into, some space should go a long way to fixing them.

If she is the 'evil' twin, then she'll likely try to ramp up her demands and you will know that she is trying to emotionally dominate you. Take that as a sign to pull further away.

FizzyGreenWater · 26/09/2017 12:56

She may be your twin, but she isn't your friend.

If you want to stay in touch at all, then move on from the idea that you are 'close' 'friends as well as sisters' etc. - right now.

You're her whipping boy. To destroy that dynamic, you needs distance. You need to see her much less, and in public. Be detached, disinterested. Do your own thing. Make other closer friends that she doesn't know.

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