How to Emotionally Prepare for Thanksgiving with your Family
Thanksgiving is a holiday that celebrates the resilience of human beings and our ability to come together, despite our differences. It's also a time when families gather around the table and have conversations about politics, religion, and sometimes even their own skeletons in the closet. I'm not saying it's easy or even possible to avoid conflict during this week-long celebration, but there are some things you can do to prepare yourself for those inevitable moments when emotions are running high.
Set the agenda.
It's not too early to start preparing for Thanksgiving. If you're going to be spending time with family this year, it's vital that you set the agenda before arriving at the table. You can do this with your family or friends by asking them what they want from their holiday, and then seeing how they'd like to spend it. A professional can also help set the agenda: as long as everyone is on board with what's happening that day, there will be no unexpected surprises.
Setting the agenda in advance will help ensure that everyone gets what they need from Thanksgiving—and ultimately make your holidays easier!
Come prepared with a set of mantras.
To help you stay calm and happy, come up with a set of mantras. These are positive phrases that you can repeat to yourself when things get tough. For example: "I am calm and in control. This is nothing more than a minor inconvenience."
To use them, simply say your mantra out loud every time anxiety rises inside of you—even if it's just for a few moments at first. The more time you spend working on these mantras in stressful situations, the more effective they'll become at alleviating stress in the long run!
Accept all emotions as valid.
So, you've been invited to a family event that's going to be super stressful. But it's not just any family event; it's Thanksgiving! You know how hard it is to spend time with your own family, let alone someone else's. And this time, there'll be extra pressure because you have some new relatives who aren't accustomed to your ways.
But here are some things you can do to make the experience better for everyone involved:
Accept all emotions as valid. Your parents may yell at one another about the amount of gravy on certain potatoes, and your cousin might get angry when his side dish isn't served hot enough for his liking—but none of these reactions should be ignored or invalidated by anyone at Thanksgiving dinner (or any other time). When we allow ourselves and others permission to feel however we want without criticism or judgement from others, we allow ourselves freedom in many aspects of life beyond just food consumption habits!
Pause and take space from any conflict.
Yes, you should take space if you need it. You can use this time to make yourself a cup of tea or do some light reading. If possible, leave the house and go for a walk in your neighborhood; this will allow you to get away from any stressful family dynamics while also connecting with nature and getting some fresh air. It might also be helpful to set aside some alone time in your room so that you have somewhere safe where no one else can bother you.
If other people judge or criticize what's going on, don’t worry about it—it's not about them anyway!
Practice self-care before, during, and after the holiday.
The holiday season is notorious for being a time when families come together, and expectations run high. And if you're like me, you may have had some bad holidays in the past. If that's the case, it's important that you take steps to ensure that this year's Thanksgiving isn't another one of those bad Thanksgivings.
One way to do this is by practicing self-care before, during, and after the holiday—and not just because it's a nice thing to do but also because research shows that doing so can help ease symptoms of depression or anxiety.
To be good at taking care of yourself during stressful times (like Thanksgiving), however, there are some things about self-care practices that are absolutely necessary for success:
They should be sustainable; if they're not sustainable then they won't work no matter how much effort you put into them!
They should also fit into your daily routine; if they don't fit into your daily routine then they'll end up being too difficult or inconvenient for use over long periods of time!
Be prepared for any emotions that come at you this holiday season.
In the words of my favorite Thanksgiving movie, this holiday can be a "drunken roller coaster of emotions." Emotions are normal and healthy, but it's important to acknowledge that they don't always make sense. You can feel happy one minute and sad or angry the next. You might want to run away from your family for a few days—or maybe you'll want to stay at home with them instead. It's okay if you don't know what to do with yourself at times!
Once you've accepted the fact that emotions will come out of nowhere, it's easier for us all to manage them. Just because we're aware doesn’t mean those feelings will stop coming on unannounced (even though we hope they do). Emotions are an integral part of life—they help us connect with one another and have meaning in our lives; however, sometimes they can get overwhelming when there aren’t any outlets available outside our own heads or bodies.
Conclusion
If we’re honest with ourselves, the holiday season can feel like an emotional minefield. We want to be kind and generous, but it’s hard to see past the messiness of our families and their flaws. But if we can keep a few key things in mind—that no one is perfect and that it’s okay for us not to be perfect either; that even though we might not like how someone feels or behaves, they are still worthy of love; that self-care is essential before, during, and after the holidays—we will be better able to handle whatever comes our way this year (and next). So go ahead: try out some of these strategies on your own family and friends!