With the holidays fast approaching, many people are going to be spending a lot of time with their families in the next few months. And while some people may be looking forward to this, others might be worried about how they’re going to make it through these occasions.
Luckily, there are some things that you can do to help make every family event over the holidays something that ends on a positive note.
To help you see how this can be done, here are three tips for having a great time when spending the holidays with your family.
Deal With Your Concerns Beforehand
If you’re coming into your family events with some apprehension, something that can help to ease your nerves and anxiety is to address these concerns with your family members before the event.
For those who are worried about their immediate family and their interactions with their extended family, schedule a time to sit down together and talk about your expectations for everyone.
And for people who are concerned about their relationships with some of their extended family members, consider speaking with them before the event so that you can smooth over any awkwardness and express your desire to have an enjoyable time with them rather than cause contention.
Participate In Or Start Family Traditions
Something that can help to draw any family closer together is to participate in or state some family traditions.
If your family already has some traditions, try to join in on the action and get really involved with the traditions, as this can help everyone to enjoy themselves. Or, if your family hasn’t really started any traditions yet, consider speaking with older members of your family, like those in assisted living facilities, to see if they remember any traditions from their past. Then, you can seek to incorporate those things into your present holiday celebrations.
Plan Some Time To Yourself
In many situations, people spend more time with their families over the holidays than during other times during the year. And for many people, this can quickly become overwhelming.
If you’re worried about your ability to stay happy and peaceful when surrounded by family for an extended period of time, try to plan some time for yourself during your holiday celebrations.
Decide to take a walk alone, stop by a store by yourself, or plan to come later or leave earlier than others so that you don’t overdo it or experience too much of a good thing. Your family should understand you wanting to take just a short time to yourself in order to come back to the family celebrations ready to enjoy your time with everyone.
If you want your holidays spent with family to be enjoyable for everyone, consider using the tips mentioned above to help improve the chances of this happening.