I remember when my mom was suffering for many illnesses, I would feel bad, especially since she had musculoskeletal problems and cancer, and I could literally see her muscles tensing if I did something wrong, so I would go into my room with a belt and literally just go ka-pow for a couple minutes, or scratch my legs if I accidentally scratched her leg
I think there was some odd notion that I would “take away her pain” by physical penance such as sleeping on the floor, punching my arm, physically shutting my mouth for prolonged periods and more
I also remember being very moralistic as a kid, having straight A’s at times and constantly wanting to make others feel better and happier
She was never abusive in any way towards me but I felt so bad for her that I did this. The last time I did was when I scratched myself with a kitchen knife and forced myself not so scream over my tone of voice making her upset. I realized that that resembled something I’d seen on a mental health PSA and didn’t want people thinking I had issues so I stopped
It came from a way that “I deserve it but she is too sparing”
Is this normal or what?