The mass holidays are almost here and it will be a time of large family gatherings for all. The past few years I’ve stayed very isolated for the holidays and also, despite my kid sisters best efforts, felt very lonely because of it. I know what I did in the past to avoid holiday stress. But new season and a chance to try again.
What are some ways other people here use to enjoy family and avoid stress? Besides locking them selves in their apartment and not answering the door or phone? I want to try something different.
My family doesn’t get too crazy during holidays, there’s not a lot of children right now so it’s pretty quiet. I mostly just hang out, drink some non-alcoholic sparkling grape juice (because alcohol is gross), and chat with family members I haven’t seen since last year. If I get too overwhelmed, I might step outside, take a walk around the neighborhood. It’s always so quiet outside during holidays, and around here the air gets so crisp, it’s wonderful!
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I do like the winter air. I love how quiet the neighborhood is.
Last year was the first year I was really together enough to care about all this. Last year was nice. The kid and I had breakfast with the parents and took off before all the aunts and uncles army of cousins arrived.
This year for some reason is planning on being bigger at the parents house. I want to be able to at lest show up and at least see an Uncle who was very supportive of me when I was really falling apart.
I’m sure you’ll do fine! You seem to have a good grasp of your own limitations, and I think seeing some of the nicer parts of your family will be good for you!
Thank you for that. I’m feeling more in control of my head these last two years then I have been in a long time. I’m sort battling it out with a bit of a paranoid break right now. But I’m trying to win. If I can beat it, I’ll feel so much better.
How are things going with you? Are you doing anything different for the holidays?
Not really. I’m buying a new dress to wear to Thanksgiving, but nothing really exciting happening. We go and visit family, we have dinner, then sit and watch TV until we go home. Pretty boring, which is exactly how I like it!
That does sound nice. Thanksgiving is an odd one for us. It’s usually on the beach in the cold. We have salmon instead of turkey. We like salmon better. Dad and the brothers try and fish, but the kid sis puts on her wetsuit and insists on surfing, I love surfing far more then standing on the shore talking about how cold it is, so I end up in the water too. Yes, with a wetsuit. Plus there are SO many seals around they get the salmon before we do, so we always end up buying it from the market. Puget Sound gets choppy enough to surf in winter.
Puget Sound! You’re on the opposite end of the country from me, I’m in Pennsylvania! That does sound nice, though I’ve never been one for beaches. All the same, I hope you have fun this year, and try to stay at least a little warm!
I like the beaches in fall and winter. Summer is too silly for most the beaches here. Pennsylvania… no wonder you’re back from lunch when I’m just waking up. I thought for a second that you were a super early bird.
Ha, no, I’m by no means an early bird. Some days I’m lucky if I’m awake before noon, because it takes me forever to get to sleep I just stay in bed forever.
i ended up in hospital last christmas 2012, i had a episode of psychosis for 2 weeks, i was drinking heavy and could not sleep and i was stressed, i got out of hospital christmas eve, but since then i’m feeling a lot better with no systoms,
I hope this Christmas goes better for you. Any family plans? What do you normally do to enjoy the season?
thanks J, I feel it will go well, i am not thinking about it much , im just taking each day as it comes, im fully focused a lot good things happened this year so im kind of in the right frame of mind, im off the drink two weeks and im walking 12 km a day, i want to stay away from the booze, im just gonna let christmas go by and the new year, once im focused i will be ok
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I’ll be sending good hope your way. You sound pretty motivated with the walking. Are you in large city or do you live out where you can walk the country with little traffic congestion?
I have reduced my anxiety a lot, i think i will handle gatherings better than i use to.
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All my gifts are from the Avon catalogue. 
No malls for me.
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It helps to blame being overbooked as to why you can only stop in for a few minutes at the family get together, then decide how much time you can spend depending on your mood.
no one has to be the wiser that the next event your booked for is really some quiet time at home.
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