Dear Carolyn: I’m 40 and an introvert, and my most trusted confidants have always been my parents.
My mom in particular has grown increasingly anxious as she’s gotten older, and our several weekly phone conversations have become confined to trite topics like what she’s watching on TV. I’m really struggling through a tough moment with a job I hate and a general lack of purpose, and it’s on my mind all the time. But sharing anything negative with her leaves her anxious for days, and I think as a result she also never asks me about my life. She basically doesn’t know my current life at all, and that’s really hard, too.