Zuko Komisa

Family will be family: How to manage conflict during the holidays
We love family but sometimes they give us the most stress, especially when they chose to pick conflict.
Though the holidays present many wonderful opportunities to bond with family, you are always one conversation away from a big fight.
Some conflict can come from having to decide which relatives to see if any.
Here are some helpful ways to divide up your time over the festive holidays to be able to handle conflicts and holiday stress that may arise.
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Rather host at home than going to your relatives
This is a very busy time on South African roads. If the stress of travelling each year is more than you’d like to handle, you may want to have family over to your home for the holidays.
Always be ready for a bit of conflict
We all know that this is the one time when family members fully express all they’ve been holding back. If you usually have conflict when you get together with your family, it’s a good idea to be prepared for it.
Give yourself a break
The best conflicts and confrontations are usually the ones you avoid. If seeing family causes you great amounts of stress each year, it’s okay to say no sometimes. Celebrating with just your partner or kids can be wonderful.
Be around friends and people you actually like
The reality of life is that not every family member is your bestie. You have to be kind to yourself and make decisions that are for your best interest. A happy holiday can easily be formed by groups of people who have decided to celebrate with friends instead of family. Choose whatever scenario will give you the most joy.
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