Thanksgiving is easily one of my favorite holidays just for the simple fact that it revolves around comfort food. However, one of the least desirable aspects of it is that you have to see your family. I love my family, but they just make drive me crazy; as I can imagine is similar to many of you. As of recently, I have been taking steps to maintain my prepare my mental health while visiting home for the holiday season. Here they are:
- Accept People For How They Are
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Do not try to change your family member’s opinions. Every year, my family bickers about everything from politics to their favorite colors and try to involve me in the argument. However, I have decided to just ignore what they say, and accept the fact that they will not change their opinions based on what I say. The only thing I can do is practice tolerance.
- Formulate an Idea of What You Would Like to Do in The Future
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Almost all of my family members ask me what I would like to do in the future or what I am doing after graduation. Like most people, this question tends to stress me out and ruins my whole day. Even though I have chosen a major, I still have no idea what I would like to do. I am someone who likes to live in the moment and take things day by day, but it helps a lot to know what you are going to say.
- Find a Way to Calm Yourself Down, Quickly
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As I stated earlier, Thanksgiving is where most family fights happen. For me, I like listening to songs and saying the lyrics in my mind as I listen to it. It helps me relieve my stress. However, in a space where you can not just play a random song and do this, it is helpful to have a mantra, meditating or taking deep breaths can seriously help. Even taking a break outside the environment will probably help tremendously.
- Set Boundaries
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Most family members will probe you a million questions about your personal life. However, realize that you do not need to answer them all. You can always change the subject or redirect the conversation to something you are more comfortable talking about.
- Realize That You Can Not Control Others
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The only person you can control is yourself. It is probably best to let go of control. If you find yourself in an environment where two of your family members are arguing, you cannot control the outcome, so do not try to intervene unless things get really violent. If this is also to happen, do not blame yourself. Realize that you cannot control the actions of others. As someone, who is a bit control-freakish, it really scares me to let go of control and let fate run its course.
I highly suggest practicing all of these before going home for Thanksgiving, so that way it seems like routine and not scary and new. Happy Thanksgiving!