HOLIDAY SURVIVAL GUIDE
The holidays are coming up. Everyone's favorite time.
And, let's face it, even more so than last year, this might be a tough season for you, if your friends and/or family members aren't on the same political or social (or any -al) page as you are.
Everyone tries to deny the tension, pretend like it's not there, or (my personal favorite) make a sassy statement that explodes into World War whatevernumberwereonnow. We often white-knuckle our way through holidays, gritting our teeth and forgetting to enjoy the time of joy, gratitude, and community (some of our favorite things!).
I read a quote recently that made me laugh, because it reminds me of the holiday season in my household: "your family is best at pushing your buttons, because they installed them."
AH.
RIGHT IN THE FEELS.
So, we have a choice. Do we engage every passive-aggressive comment (and, if you're like me, you already know this ends terribly, because you're aggressive-aggressive)? Do we ignore it all and slowly die to our integrity, suffocating away under choked words and strangled feelings? Do we try to straddle the line (and inevitably fail)?
Any of the options is fine. It is what it is (and, totally profit-free plug, if you're looking for a place to chat this out, a friend introduced me to a Facebook group where we hash all this out. Dr. Tee, who runs it, is hilarious and insightful, a scholar of social justice. Click here to check it out.).
No matter which option we choose, however, we need to make sure we're paying attention to our self-care. Showing up in the world determined to help create space for everyone, improving our collective good, is a marathon, not a sprint. Our resolve on most issues, from budget to bigotry, is often tested during the holiday season. Self-care is vital, an act of survival, even, to quote my friend Chrissy King, and it starts with drawing some boundaries.
Read more about how to go about this here.
Let me know what you find! And feel free to share any tension-survival strategies here or on Facebook.
Enjoy your Thanksgiving (if you celebrate) and safe travels!
xoxo,
Steph
PS- Have something on your mind?
If you missed it, a few weeks ago, I took a poll about what type of content you'd like to see going forward! Check the post out here, or reply directly to this email to let me know what you'd like to see. <3
