This is Neil’s latest article on family gatherings and holidays…

You might be bracing yourself…

The holidays are fast approaching. And because social restrictions are relaxing, most family gatherings will be back in full swing.

Though for many of us, even if we are looking forward to seeing our family, the childhood dinner table remains the epicenter of our family dysfunction.

In fact, I’ve heard numerous people confess that they loved having the pandemic as an excuse to avoid last year’s usual Thanksgiving and Christmas festivities…

And how they’re dreading going back to them.

They find family time soon devolves from excited reunion to stressful interaction, and walk away feeling like they need a second vacation just to unwind and reset.

And despite doing regular personal growth work throughout the year, they’re dismayed to find old wounds coming back to the surface.

As Ram Dass said, “If you think you’re enlightened, go spend a week with your family.”

That’s because visiting family is often a step back into the fray—the ecosystem where much of our original trauma took place, and our core wounds formed. Whether we are consciously aware of them or not.

You can turn this stressful time into a massive opportunity for growth, while testing your skills in operating as a functional adult.

Everything we’ve covered a few weeks ago—noticing emotional triggers, diffusing reactivity, recovering from regression, and making new choices—is the exact set of tactics you might benefit from using during the holidays.

So, I thought it would be a perfect time to spend the next few posts providing some insights and tools to help make the following months not only more bearable, but more positive and fruitful…

I’m calling it the Holiday Survival Series. With it, my hope is you’ll be able to move through the season with more equanimity than ever before.

For Neil’s latest article, read here: