Home for the Holidays: How Not to Get Triggered
Three ways to be your best self while being with family.
Posted December 20, 2022 | Reviewed by Ekua Hagan
The holiday season is the most magical time of the year. But for many, it's also the most challenging, especially when returning home and spending time with family. Do you also find that within a short amount of time staying with your folks, you lose touch with your adult self and revert to a younger version of yourself? For me, it usually took only 48 hours to argue with my dad about politics , be annoyed with my mom for not allowing me to help her, and compete with my sister. Lo and behold, I felt like an angry teenager who could not wait for the holidays to be over. With expert precision, my family seemed to push the buttons they had installed a long time ago.
Yet, reverting to old patterns isn’t just the prerogative of adult children. It also happens to parents, who sometimes forget that their grown-up kids no longer need to be told how to live their lives. But how can we avoid triggering each other and be more patient and understanding?
Here are three ways to get ready for trigger-free holidays:
To avoid getting triggered during the holidays, we need to maintain a healthy balance between indulging in the season's sweetness and staying committed to what we know generally makes us feel positive, centered, and empowered. After all, whether we are parents, children, or both, the greatest gift we can give our loved ones and ourselves is our best selves.
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Friedemann Schaub, M.D., Ph.D., is a physician, researcher, personal development coach, and the award-winning author of The Fear and Anxiety Solution and The Empowerment Solution.
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This article is part of the Bringwise Psychology Journal — daily insights on human behavior, mental health, and personal growth.