4 Definitive Techniques to Making Small Talk
Add the challenge of a very difficult relative, and things escalate quickly. You can brush it off when complete strangers say insulting or rude things to you. When Aunt Betty does it, things get deep, right? Many of us start off the holidays wrong and lose sleep anticipating Aunt Betty’s annoying questions and comments.
The better way of dealing with difficult relatives
Remember that annoying relatives (mom, brother, aunt) are likely stressed out, too. Probably more than you are. Let that fill you with a bit of compassion.
Don’t react immediately, either. A pause is always much longer in your mind than it is to others. Breathe in and relax your body (Come to us for fantastic relaxation exercises if you want help with that.)
Repeat your relative’s message more kindly than you heard it. Your mother might use a tight, annoying voice to ask, “When are you gonna have a baby?”
You can ask, “You want us to have a baby, Mom?”
5 Steps to Eliminating Filler Words Forever
With Thanksgiving around the corner, this is exactly what I needed. I’ve been anticipating the annoying comments. Funnily enough, I resonate voice and validate the concerns of my preschool students on the verge of a meltdown. Yet, I never thought to use that same technique and apply it to certain family members. Genius! haha