Would you mind telling me the three books that helped you most in dealing with your AC issues? Thanks!!
When Parents Hurt - Joshua Coleman
The Verbally Abusive Relationship by Patricia Evans
The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown
"In Sheep's Clothing" George Simon
I always recommend the many books by Deborah Tannen. She analyzes communication styles and writes how different styles lead to misunderstandings and problems. You can think you are being polite/welcoming/respectful, but if the other person has a different style of communicating, you can come off as rude, nosy, interfering.
How do you get to know someone? Ask them questions about themselves, right? But some people don't deal well with direct questions, so they think you are interrogating them and it is stressful. And they may be trying to get to know you with indirect questions (instead of "Did you get that virus that's going around?" they say "Me and Jim had that virus last week" and you're supposed to know they are really asking if you had the virus), but you think they are just full of themselves and show no interest in you. I think a lot of the problems posted here probably started out as miscommunication, but soon snowballed into outright hostilities. Once the hostility starts, it's hard to go back to the very beginning and identify innocent miscommunications.
If all else fails, I suggest the collected works of Dave Barry - laughter is the best medicine for all types of problems.
Codependent No More
This books was life changing for me. My DS is not an alcoholic, but I do believe he is mentally ill. It is really helping me to "detach."