The Return of Surviving the Family During the Holidays

Send us Fan MailHi There, Jill Here,This episode is a rerun of humorous suggestions of how to deal with family during the holidays. It gives a number of tongue-in -cheek and whipped-cream-in-mouth ways to deal with a dysfunctional family at the holidays... or really, anytime.Sometimes a little humor and perspective around the holidays is called for.  I know it was for me. Have a beautiful holiday season.Subscribe to A Muse's Daydream wherever you get your podcastsA new Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching Training is coming up in January 2025. For those who want to understand more about how to unfold the creative process for others and/or yourself, through science, intuition, mindfulness and not taking yourself so seriously. More here.I loiter here.Script:Hi this is Jill Badonsky and this is a special episode of a Muse’s daydream.. reality version because it’s the holidays and holidays can be tough if you choose to spend it with a dysfunctional family. So this is; Dysfunctional Family Survival Guide for the HolidaysIf you regress as soon as a family member gives you a funny look, if you’ve ever been known to throw mashed potatoes across the table when a food fight wasn’t on the agenda. If you think every year THIS will finally be the one where you will be the change you want to be but instead you turn into the gravy you want to see on the turkey Here are a few creative survival tips gathered from extensive studies from the Muse is In laboratories where empirical results were extracted from millions of subjects all over the world.. I it made up.. I forget which.    1. Pretend like you are spending the holiday with the family of a friend of yours instead of your own family . It can entertaining, provide distance and perhaps even seem entertaining.  Or along the same lines, make believe you are observing the sequel to August: Osage County. Remember the one where Julia Roberts repeatedly tosses the f-bomb at the pitiful mother, Meryl Streep. Just compare your family to that and if it’s worse, never mind.   You could try wearing a disguise, you know one of those glasses with the big noses – but you must do it with a straight face. 2. Whenever a family member pushes one of, you know, those BUTTONS, saying THAT THING or behaving THAT WAY THAT MAKES YOU CRAZY and making you FORGET EVERY GAIN YOU'VE PAID FOR IN YEARS AND YEARS and YEARS of THERAPY, have an automatic response ready. Suggestions:             A. Say to yourself, "Well, bless their heart!"  (Southern accents are particularly helpful here.). B. Think to yourself, "My bodyguard will be here in a minute." Imagine handing your feelings over to your bodyguard and payIng no mind to the offending party - cuz things are taken care of.  C. If you can't avoid incoming verbal torment, just brush it off your body as if it were cat hair, cookie crumbs, or gnats.  (Use a lint roller for special effect and even wave it while the offending party is talking as if catching the debri before it lands on your mild demeanor). D. While they pushing all your sensitive buttons , stare just above their eyes in the  middle of their forehead with a blank expression on your face. Stay in that position no less than 15 minutes after they've finished. E. When they are speaking, DUCK down as if allowing their verbal ickiness to simply fly over you and sparing you of any reason to be anything other than Dolly Parton-like or if you are a male, George Clooney-like or maybe Jon Hamm like or at the very least, Tom HanksSupport the show Upcoming art and creativity programs www.themuseisin.com