Annoyed By Family This Holiday Season? 4 Ways To Cope

You love your family; you just prefer to hang out with them in small doses sometimes. When the holidays come, you know that you’re going to deal with topics of conversation that you don’t really want to talk about, unpleasant passing comments, and maybe an argument or two.

The holidays are supposed to be the happiest time of year. While you do enjoy yourself and being with them, this time of year also brings on feelings of anxiety, sadness, and even a little anger.

Are you already feeling annoyed by your own family this holiday season? Don’t worry; you’re not alone. Here’s how to cope with this.

1. Try to Stay Positive

If you’re already on edge before even visiting with family, you’re setting the tone for your feelings before any interaction actually occurs. A negative mindset may cause you to become more anxious, agitated, or defensive when the time comes to get together with your family. It’s not bad to be a little cautious, but try to stay positive and keep an open mind. You want to have a fresh perspective to better control your thoughts, feelings, and emotions in the moment.

2. Practice Mindfulness

If you’re feeling anxious before or while visiting with loved ones, you’re not alone. Try to come prepared with some mindfulness techniques to practice beforehand or in the moment. It doesn’t hurt to have some techniques ready to use to be a little more proactive rather than reactive. You can practice mindfulness in many different ways. Try a few of the different techniques out and see what works best for you. Here are just a few of the different mindfulness techniques that you can try out:

• Body scan

• Deep breathing

• Journaling

• Meditate

• Walk outside

3. Set and Enforce Boundaries

Before going into hanging out with loved ones, make sure you’re spending some time figuring out what your personal boundaries are. Think about the topics of conversation you’re okay with discussing versus those you don’t want to discuss. If there are certain opinions or phrases that annoy you that you can already picture your family saying, set a boundary for those as well. Boundaries are yours. They’re what help protect your overall mental health and wellness. Once you set them, make sure you communicate your wants and needs. If someone chooses to disrespect one of your boundaries, you can remind them of your boundaries. If they choose to continue to ignore this, you can decide if you should remove yourself from the situation.

4. Have a Backup Plan In Place

Getting together with loved ones doesn’t mean you have to stay in a situation you don’t want to be a part of. It also doesn’t mean you have to deal with the opinions of others that you didn’t even ask for. If you feel uncomfortable or if one of your boundaries is crossed, removing yourself from the situation is perfectly acceptable. Try to have a backup plan in place. This could mean finding a different room to escape to for a bit to calm down and take a few deep breaths. Depending on the weather, you may be able to go for a walk around your neighborhood. You can even choose to leave and go home if the situation escalates.

Next Steps

Whether you are close to your family or not, getting together with your family can bring on a mixture of emotions. Sometimes, some negative emotions are thrown into the mix. If you feel this way, you shouldn’t feel bad. This is actually more common than you may think. If you want a little additional support this time of year, we’re here to help. Reach out to us today to set up a consultation.