Family Overload

It’s right about now in the holiday season when quality family time starts to feel more like jail time. There are only so many dinners, movies, singalongs, and fire-watching sessions you can take before you find yourself completely overloaded on family bonding.

It’s not that you don’t love your family. You do. It’s just that you’d rather comb your eyeballs than play another game of Taboo with them this month. We get it. It’s natural. So, we’re going to do our best to help you dial back the family overload a few notches with three simple suggestions:

• One-on-none time—Make some time for yourself to be totally alone over the holiday season. And we know this is easier said than done with over-packed houses and family vacations, so our suggestion is to take up running. It’s a perfect way to get as much time as you need by yourself without offending anyone in your family. And depending on how irritating you find your family, you might even burn off excess holiday cookie calories. Added bonus!
• Play it up—For this tip, you need to find an accomplice in aggravation. Together, you two should create an I Spy list of your family’s annoying habits. They can be frequent things, like your grandfather clearing his throat, or once-an-evening things, like your dad’s mandatory Rudolph knock-knock joke. You two should also come up with a prize that could be anything from cash to a back rub. First person to spot 5 family quirks wins. With the prize incentive, you’ll be looking forward to your family’s irksome habits instead of rolling your eyes each time your sister speaks with her mouth full of sweet potatoes.
• See the sights—No matter where you are—DC, Dubai, or Decatur—there are sights to see. And sights don’t have to be museums or statues. They can be super little things like the county library, the local mall, or the lights on Main Street. The point is that whatever there is to do outside of the house, do it. Sometimes your family can seem more intolerable when you are all trapped between four walls. A little fresh air and some activity can really change the dynamic of a group.

Remember that these people are your family, and that blood is thicker than water…and whoever discovered that must have had a more difficult family holiday season that you’ll ever have. So, take comfort in that.

Are you experiencing family overload yet?

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