10 Strategies for Surviving Dysfunctional Family Holiday Gatherings

Holidays can be a very stressful time in general — but if you were raised in a dysfunctional family system, it can go beyond ordinary stress and enter the “danger” or  “crisis” zone very quickly, depending on how toxic your current family system dynamics are. In this article I share 10 strategies that have helped my psychotherapy clients feel more at ease during family events via careful planning, self-caring acts, and having realistic expectations. Holiday Gatherings with Dysfunctional Family Can Be Stressful It is common to have high expectations when thinking of family gatherings. Alternatively, you might fear that your worst expectations will be realized, if you get together with nuclear and/or extended family members for a holiday gathering of some kind.  It can be especially mentally and emotionally stressful to have to face the holiday season when you have had acutely difficult experiences with one or more family members in the past — including during your childhood. Such complex dynamics can make this time of year fraught with difficult decisions and choices for adult survivors of dysfunctional families. It’s critical that you remember that just because it is the holiday season doesn’t mean that anyone in your family has changed the way they behave or the manner in which they treat you. The one thing you do have control over is your own choices and responses. Below are my 10 strategies for surviving the holiday season if you c...
Source: Psych Central - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tags: Family Holiday Coping Narcissism Personality Boundaries Dysfunctional Family family systems holiday gatherings no contact Toxic Family Toxic People triggers Source Type: news