Hey - first time poster, here. It's pretty amazing how ingrained the need to 'show up' for our family is in a lot of us, even if they treat us pretty poorly.
I had my family christmas party yesterday, and as a result here I am silent and teary the next morning, trawling through Beyond Blue forums after a 20min chat with an online counsellor. (Very grateful for this organisation).
In short, I'd love to open this forum post up to anyone who feels they have some tips or tricks to coping with family gatherings at this time of year.
How do we engage with the loved ones we want to make an effort with, even if attending those gatherings involves people we'd prefer not to see?
How do we protect ourselves from the people whose comments and one-liners that act like piercing daggers? How can we not let it ruin our day?
How do we deal with a mixed family group, particularly when they have a tendency to lean towards negativity?
How do we have boundaries with people who won't truly understand the boundaries or necessarily respect them? I find it especially hard if they are actually trying to, but just aren't emotionally or intellectually able to and it ends up with you feeling exhausted from reminding them of your boundaries all the time.
Do we just smile through the hard bits and have a cry about it later?
Thanks in advance for your pieces of wisdom & food for thought.
