How to survive family reunions
Family reunions are a wonderful time to collect lots of missing data about your family.
No matter what the time of year is, not everyone is good at family gatherings . Whether it’s a wedding, a road trip to visit grandma, or the dreaded family reunion , people often debate whether spending time with family members is worth their precious vacation time … their sanity.
With a shift in perspective and a little planning, you can begin to see your family as an interesting collection of personalities and a source of meaningful relationships that you may have overlooked in the past. You can do your best at family gatherings . You can learn to handle your frustrations and anxieties with people in your extended family.
Index
MAKE LEARNING ABOUT FAMILY MEMBERS A GAME: SCAVENGER HUNT
Family reunions are a wonderful time to gather missing data about your family and previous generations. Your mother may not know much about your aunt’s cross-country trip during the crisis, but perhaps her brother whom she never sees does.
Instead of focusing on everyone’s annoying habits or how no one seems to ask you questions about your life, if you think of right now as a way to collect data , you can discover interesting and little-known information about family members that suddenly seem like more interesting.
Also, the hours will fly by. Turn your search for information into a kind of scavenger hunt: do you know the names and ages of your cousins’ children? Do you have everyone’s phone numbers or email addresses? What really happened to your grandfather’s long-lost sister? Curiosity is the best antidote to anxiety … of any kind.
FOCUS ON ONE-ON-ONE RELATIONSHIPS
Family reunions can be a good time to see if you have a strong, individual relationship with each person in your family . If there is going to be a large crowd, consider not talking to people who already know the most about you or who you are most comfortable with.
Make an effort to know the values atypical can reduce your overall discomfort future events and help you feel more connected to your extended family. It also takes the pressure off of having to have a meaningful conversation with everyone at the event. Just choose 2 or 3 people you would like to get to know better and search for them . If you want to continue the conversation, get their contact information and make plans to see you again in the future.
THINK MORE ABOUT YOU
It can be too easy to try to control everyone else’s behavior at a large family gathering. Older women and children are particularly apt to make sure everyone is comfortable or having a good time. You may be concerned about protecting your daughter from the curious questions of whether she has already chosen a major in college.
Or you’re worried that there isn’t enough food even though you weren’t put in charge of preparing the food. Maybe you keep an eye on your brother to make sure he doesn’t drink too much and start discussing politics with people. Trying to control other people is a quick way to feel anxious and frustrated.
You are only responsible for yourself, so be careful when trying to manage other people’s behaviors or emotions and refocus on yourself. It’s not your job to make sure everyone stays calm at a family gathering. Sometimes being a leader simply means being the calmest person in the room. Especially in a family !
Dr. Tabriella Perivolaris, Sara's mother and fan of fashion, beauty, motherhood, among others, about the female universe. Since 2018 she has been working as a copywriter, always bringing to her articles a little of her experience and experience as a mother and woman.