Families: They Can Either Make or Break the Holidays
Connie Podesta, MS, CSP, CPAE
Hall of Fame Keynote Speaker with Laughter & Therapy (Who doesn’t need a little bit of both?) | Award-Winning Author - 9 Books | Sales, Leadership, Human Behavior Expert | Therapist, 25 Years and…No PowerPoint (yay!)
by Motivational Speaker Connie Podesta
SPOILER ALERT: HOLIDAYS – Let’s do this! For some of you, this is an awesome time of the year filled with parties, gifts, friends and family galore. You love the hustle and bustle of the season and family gatherings are full of shared stories, games, tasty desserts, and wonderful memories. If that’s you and you’re over-the-moon about the season ahead, let me wish you the happiest of holiday seasons and wonderful memories ahead! Have a great time, take good care and please…DON’T READ ANY FURTHER!
If that’s NOT you and this season has the opposite feel – a little dread, a little anxiety and a whole lot of stress because of that OTHER side of family time, baggage, history, some addictive behaviors here and there, a few not-so-pleasant childhood memories, a little sibling rivalry, too much spending, junk-filled calories, spousal tension, in-laws, out-laws, a few ex’s here and there, behaviors that annoy us, attitudes that drive us crazy, too much noise, too many cooks, and often too little of that “joy and peace” we are supposed to feel – then welcome to the world of holiday co-dependency. The rest of this post is for you.
Let’s face it—for many people, their own family is the craziest place in the world in terms of happy and healthy relationships. There’s just a lot going on that has been developing over decades, even centuries. But…here’s the good part. You have a choice of how to deal with difficult people and personalities—even during the holidays. So what does co-dependency mean and why am I choosing this holiday season to bring up such a seemingly “downer” topic. Let’s first define co-dependency and see if this fits you at all with anyone in your life.