By Journey Artis
Hey Everyone! Welcome back to another session of our A Journey With Journey series. So far we have covered ways for you to deal with stress and rejection, but what about ways for you to deal with obnoxious people? Sound good? With the holidays right around the corner I think we can all admit that we often have those relatives, whether distant or immediate, that are just lumps of coal on our Christmas mornings. So, with this in mind our next topic will be covering how to deal with these obnoxious relatives, and better ways to address these situations overall! Without further ado let’s get these annoying relatives in check!
Oh Joy! Holidays are right around the corner. You know what that means gifts, time off of school, and best of all your rude aunt’s unnecessary comments about your weight! Ok guys, jokes aside for now, having relatives you would truly much rather not see is completely normal. We get it! But, it is paramount that you know how to deal with and address these situations so you don’t make time with your family dreading. For example according to Care.com’s article titled, “How to deal with toxic family members during the happiest time of year,” “Families have the ability to push buttons like no other — particularly during the holidays when most people are stressed, exhausted and forced to spend time with some of our maybe not-so-favorite relatives.” This essentially means that while your family has a special way of getting on your nerves, these feelings are usually more heightened during the holidays. However, we have some tips to make your time off less miserable, and yes even with your annoying cousins! Without further ado let's get right into these tips!
Try to Talk It Out
Sometimes a little communication is all you need!
Just talking it out might bring out the change that you want to see during the holidays
If you choose to talk it out try using I statements instead of accusatory ones, and always use respectful language!
This of course is no guarantee you’ll see the change you want to see but it can make all the difference if you just muster the courage and gumption to try!
Simply Ignore Them
Toxic or even just annoying people seem to love one thing: Attention!
Sometimes if you just let that snarky comment or annoying pat on the back, roll off your back and away from your thoughts; you might feel that much better!
Now I am not saying if someone wants to strike up a regular conversation with you, you have to be rude and blow them off (although don’t feel forced to talk to anyone you don’t want to!)but I am saying that ignoring blatant rude actions can help in making the holidays a lot less annoying.
Minimize Time Around Specific Obnoxious Relatives
Sometimes you just don’t like certain people and would rather spend as little time around them as possible. That's ok! Knowing how to effectively balance this though, can make or break between using effective adult skills or being a “disrespectful teen.”
Try spending time around the relatives that you do enjoy being around. No one is entitled to your time and you do not have to be forced to be around anyone who makes you uncomfortable! Maybe you and your cousins get along great, or maybe you have a phenomenal relationship with your aunt, but no matter which direction you choose to go, know that there are options.
You can also just not involve yourself anywhere these obnoxious relatives might be. Rude aunt in the kitchen? Go chill in the living room. Jealous cousins in the family room? Try going outside with some other relatives, you do get along with!
Focus On The Positives
As mentioned before you can always hangout with other relatives during the holidays and focus on your time with them!
Or you can focus on the good food, great gifts, or overall holiday aesthetics around you!
Whatever you choose to focus on as opposed to your annoying relatives just know that, that thing should be all that matters to you during this holiday and you should not allow annoying relatives to distract your focus from that!
Try Something New
Maybe you just need a break of everyone; Girl me too! So you can try non-traditional ways of celebrating the holidays.
Maybe try a friendsgiving with some friends who are also over their families and make the holidays something special!
Maybe go hangout with family who doesn’t usually come to the Antelope Valley for their holidays (probably for a good reason!) and make this year something to remember
Or try hanging out alone and asking your family to bring your gifts and food back when they return. You can watch holiday movies, try new recipes, or all around enjoy yourself without the extra distractions!
Alright everyone! That closes out this month’s A Journey With Journey’s topic! I hope you were able to take something from this and find ways to enjoy your holidays and families (or at least some members of them)! Best of luck to you all and happy holidays!
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