Holidays like Passover and Easter bring memories and gatherings. You know who at the table might punch your button because they don’t believe in you for whatever reason. Don’t you count yourself out for happiness and success. Leave the room for a pause, use humor, like “thanks for sharing,” use a more direct line, “you think you know me and I think you don’t…if you get curious about me, just let me know.
Change is a journey. It is fun to learn more about who you are and aren’t if you see the journey as a learning and a time of practicing compassion.
Some days you will be kind to yourself or critical. The hope is you notice and not let anything ruin your day, which means don’t spin the experience over and over like a hamster. Get off that wheel of negativity. You could say, “STOP IT. DON’T THINK ABOUT THAT, AGAIN.”
Words don’t often stick when you have a conversation with someone who is “just not into you.” Action like moving away or putting your hand up like a stop-sign might help in the moment.
This week I have gotten calls from clients about how to handle the ongoing gatherings that are sometimes disappointing due to buttons getting pushed. Expectations need a review before you open the front door. Check in with who you are now and how some want you to be who you were last year or even last month. I love the lines, “We disagree. We can drop that now and have a fun time here.”
Find an object, back yard, pet, or something that you can look to in the moment that shifts the negative energy. Maybe there is a table decoration, flowers, a bunny, or stacked matzo, that you can really look at in detail. This is a way to not give attention to a downhill roll.
Happy Spring and Freedom,
Natalie
Natalie Caine M.A.
Empty Nest Support Services
Life In Transition, What’s Next?
(800) 446-3310 or (818) 763-0188
Los Angeles
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