Hints for Survival as the Holidays and Family are Before Us...
- Lynda Savage, M.S., LMFT, LPC
- Series: Dear Rosa
Before a family gathering:
***Make up your mind and prepare your heart ahead of time to bless and encourage your family members.
***Avoid a judgmental attitude about family members’ decisions, viewpoints and lifestyle choices. This may take some prayer and head/heart work ahead of time on your part.
***Take care of yourself and make sure to get enough rest before the family gathering. When we are well rested, it is easier for those harsh comments to roll off and it is easier to be patient with difficult people. When we are tired and stressed, things can seem worse than they really are.
***Avoid unrealistic expectations. We create some of our own stress by expecting our relatives to change or to stop doing the things that annoy us simply because it is the holidays. Those annoyances may not be intrinsically wrong.
***Allow room for differences in opinions and ways of doing things.
---Gleaned from life and paraphrased from the writings of Christine VanderWielen, MSW, LCSW at PFL.org
