Dealing with Family at Christmas
Christmas is supposed to be a time of joy and celebration but when you have a family that is difficult to get along with, it can be a time of great stess. You can do more than just survive Christmas with your family if you follow these tips.
Focus on the reason for the season.
Forgiveness can go a long way when dealing with difficult family members. It is a survival technique to deal with family members who may have caused you pain in the past. Forgiving and letting the past go can make the time spent with family much easier to deal with.
Limit time spent with family.
If you are going to a family member's house for Christmas dinner, don't overstay your welcome. If you only commit a few hours to spending with family it can be easier to cope with tension that is hard to ignore.
Don't expect trouble.
Sometimes if you anticipate trouble you will get it. Think positively and enter into the holiday season telling yourself that it won't be too awful. Trying to turn around your way of seeing the situation can work in your favor to make the holidays with your family more bearable and possibly even enjoyable.
Accept what you cannot change.
Your family is your family and accepting them for who and what they are can go a long way in making the time you spend together less stressful. Perfect families only exist on television and in every family there is at least one (if not more) family members that can be hard to spend time with.
Kill them with kindness.
There are some people who seem to go out of their way to create drama and trouble. They may behave inappropriately and do everything that they can to snub you, make snide comments or just act rudely towards you. Refuse to stoop to their level and react kindly to them. It will throw them off and perhaps even keep them from choosing you as a target for their abuse.
Laughter.
When dealing with a difficult family situation laughter can be the cure. You cannot control how people act and to learning how to laugh at your family's dysfunctional behavior can be a lifesaving technique. Instead of reaching for alcohol to dull the pain of dealing with the disappointment of not having the "perfect" family, laugh at it instead. Alcohol can make stressful family holiday gatherings worse. It won't take the edge off, in fact it probably will make the atmosphere more tense.
Following these tips can ensure that your holiday get together with your family will be more bearable.
