{"id":2342,"date":"2016-11-21T04:11:36","date_gmt":"2016-11-21T04:11:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/narcissismcured.com\/thencmarriage\/?p=2342"},"modified":"2018-09-03T07:55:07","modified_gmt":"2018-09-03T07:55:07","slug":"forget-turkey-emotionally-prepared-thanksgiving-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/narcissismcured.com\/thencmarriage\/codependent\/codependency-self-help\/forget-turkey-emotionally-prepared-thanksgiving-christmas\/","title":{"rendered":"Forget the Turkey &#8211; Are you Emotionally Prepared for Thanksgiving &#038; Christmas?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\">[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<a href=\"https:\/\/narcissismcured.com\/thencmarriage\/uncategorized\/forget-turkey-emotionally-prepared-thanksgiving-christmas\/attachment\/handle-with-care\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-2360\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2360 size-full alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/narcissismcured.com\/thencmarriage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/handle-thansgiving-with-care.jpg\" alt=\"Illustration depicting a set of cut out printed letters formed to arrange the words handle with care.\" width=\"500\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/narcissismcured.com\/thencmarriage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/handle-thansgiving-with-care.jpg 500w, https:\/\/narcissismcured.com\/thencmarriage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/handle-thansgiving-with-care-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/narcissismcured.com\/thencmarriage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/handle-thansgiving-with-care-300x300.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><strong>Continued from:<\/strong> (<a title=\"Don\u2019t Let Politics Divide Your Family this Holiday Season!\" href=\"https:\/\/narcissismcured.com\/thencmarriage\/codependent\/codependency-self-help\/dont-let-politics-divide-family-holiday-season\/\">Don&#8217;t Let Politics Divide Your Family this Holiday Season<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"dropcap\">D<\/span>ealing with rude or difficult family members requires the use of good comebacks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Having quick comebacks prepared is essential for situations where you are being put down or insulted- they are an effective way to let the other person know that they haven&#8217;t gotten the better of you. They can be as simple as;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"p1\"><em>\u201cYeah Right\u201d<\/em> (Very Australian),<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\"><em>\u201cWhatever\u201d<\/em> (very American),<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Or the cross continental,<em> \u201cWas that meant to be funny?\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p1\">These simple but dismissive expressions work so powerfully because someone\u00a0who puts other people down is trying to make themselves feel superior. They will only continue to do this with people they feel they can &#8216;stand on&#8217;, just to give themselves a little more height. Instead, if they\u00a0feel\u00a0deflated every time they choose you as a target, you will find the insults stop. This works so well that often just having a comeback prepared\u00a0will let that person sense you are no longer a soft target.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">No matter what comeback you choose, primarily it must\u00a0demonstrate you are not a people pleasing doormat!\u00a0Your comeback\u00a0should make it clear that\u00a0anyone\u00a0trying to put you down or\u00a0make you feel stupid, is instantly going to get the same in return.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><span style=\"color: #2e0000;\"><em>People pleasers are not good at leaving other people feeling uncomfortable so this really may take some practice.<\/em><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><a title=\"Signs of Your Codependence\" href=\"https:\/\/narcissismcured.com\/thencmarriage\/codependent\/signs-codependency\/in-yourself-2\/\">A people pleaser<\/a> is likely to deliver a comeback as a whining kind of question, which usually really sounds something like, &#8220;Leave me alone&#8221;. This won&#8217;t work and neither will asking them to do something. For example, saying <em>&#8220;Stop&#8221;<\/em> or &#8220;<em>Get over it!&#8221;<\/em>\u00a0still hands this person power, and that is the opposite of what is needed to make the put-downs stop. Instead, you need to show them that <em>you are in charge<\/em> and that you don&#8217;t mind leaving them feeling uncomfortable and\u00a0with nothing to say!<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span style=\"color: #2e0000;\"><em><span class=\"s1\">A good comeback is\u00a0a conversation ender, and should leave the person nothing to argue with. For the\u00a0conversation to continue after the comeback &#8212; it should require the subject to change.<\/span><\/em><\/span><span class=\"s1\">\u00a0<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">I will be giving more examples and workshopping good comebacks for specific situations (in our private group); this week and right through the holiday season. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">These situations are best dealt with as they happen in the moment. If you don\u2019t get it right this time<i>,<\/i>\u00a0there is always time later to practice handling the same situation better in the future. Don&#8217;t try to confront someone about their rudeness any other time than when they are directly insulting you.\u00a0<em>Learning to keep things in present time like this is vital for relationship success.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span style=\"color: #2e0000;\"><em><span class=\"s1\">This means avoiding being a person who constantly has \u2018issues\u2019 with family members and feels they must be confrontational about sorting them out with the person after the situation has taken place. Trying to solve what happened by bringing it up with the person and pulling apart the situation after the event &#8211; will usually end up unpleasant at best.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Instead, assess, plan and be ready to deal with the problems as they arise &#8212; and if you don\u2019t succeed, make a note, let it go, and then later when you are feeling better, go back to the drawing board and work out a better plan of how you will handle that same situation when it happens again.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b><em>This is all about planning<\/em>.<\/b> Planning is the opposite of just waiting and hoping that nothing emotional will come up. <\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span style=\"color: #2e0000;\"><em><span class=\"s1\">If you don\u2019t plan ahead and instead wait to decide how you will deal with the situation\u00a0once you are upset, you will end up listening to and acting on all the stuff your Hare brain tells you to do. You can be sure it is going to start yapping the moment it is triggered and\u00a0hops out of its box!<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Then just like an old fashioned Bugs Bunny cartoon &#8212; you will be left standing looking stupid, with that stupid &#8216;Hare Brained&#8217; rabbit (in your head) giving you bad advice!<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">I have labeled our emotional brain the\u00a0<em>&#8216;Hare Brain&#8217; <\/em>because it\u00a0is great at coming up with crazy stunts that might help us deal with lions and tigers (when we were not at the top of the food chain). But these days you can ignore most of the advice it will give you. It is that voice in your head that may suggest some extreme actions may be necessary, and is usually triggered when we feel disrespected or see injustice. Later on when you are wondering what on earth you could have been thinking,<em> blaming someone else<\/em> is a\u00a0very human response.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Blaming someone else might make us feel better for awhile, but only puts the power in the other persons hands. It also only kicks the can down the road and wont stop the same situation\u00a0happening again!<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">This is not to say our emotions are worthless or stupid. They are lightening fast signals that alert us to opportunity or danger, and it is vital we learn to take note of what they are signalling. But it is best that we don&#8217;t try to deal with the danger or opportunity they are warning us about until we have calmed down and our Tortoise Brain is in charge again.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Later on it may be necessary to set boundaries and figure out how to protect ourselves in future. But it is usually best to not try and make these decisions in the heat of the moment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">This is why it is important that if you DO become upset, <strong><i>make a note of what triggered you to become emotional.<\/i><\/strong>\u00a0Keep this note pretty general, for example; when ______\u00a0(a brief description of what happened) I felt _____ (the emotion).<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">After some practice, it may occur that you are able to bounce back quickly if you do get\u00a0caught off guard- this is a very important skill to have and takes time to perfect. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">This skill requires you to refocus your thoughts onto something that will make you happy, and then decide you are not going to think about what made you upset until later on. You may need to take some time out by yourself to do this (but try not to stomp off in a huff). If people ask where are you going you can make an excuse or even say, &#8220;I need a few minutes to cool off!&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><strong><em><span class=\"s1\">Remember, it is not your responsibility to deal with other people\u2019s negative emotions. If they choose to be unhappy that is up to them. The best you can do is be a positive example and learn to self soothe and keep yourself on track with your own life and goals.<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Negative emotions are contagious however and so if you have children or teenagers who are sulking or in a bad mood &#8211; it might be best that you insist they go do that in their room or where everyone else isn\u2019t likely to \u201ccatch\u201d their negativity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>If you find you have caught someone else\u2019s negativity, try taking a few very slow, deep breaths and then sigh and let it go. Acknowledge that you see the other person is feeling angry or negative (showing compassion if possible) while bringing your own sense of inner peace and calm back to the situation.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b><i>Practice makes perfect and every time you decide to let your negativity or stress go and refocus on positive thoughts, the faster and better you will become at this.<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">So&#8230; <\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Think it through now, be prepared with comebacks!<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Be realistic about the challenges ahead!<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Keep making a better plan!<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">If you get caught out, make a note of what triggered you to become upset without letting it effect your mood.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">If you notice your Hare Brain has been released, take some time out to go and regain your own inner calm!<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Hard work? Yes, self management always is, but the skills I have outlined above are vital if you wish to be an emotionally stable influence on your home.<\/span><\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1479770693179{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}&#8221;][vc_column_text]<a href=\"https:\/\/narcissismcured.com\/thencmarriage\/uncategorized\/forget-turkey-emotionally-prepared-thanksgiving-christmas\/attachment\/handle-with-care-2\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-2362\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2362 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/narcissismcured.com\/thencmarriage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/hiding-from-conflict.jpg\" alt=\"Illustration of a funny cartoon creature or animal's character eyes, hiding and looking from inside a shoes box\" width=\"500\" height=\"403\" srcset=\"https:\/\/narcissismcured.com\/thencmarriage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/hiding-from-conflict.jpg 500w, https:\/\/narcissismcured.com\/thencmarriage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/hiding-from-conflict-150x121.jpg 150w, https:\/\/narcissismcured.com\/thencmarriage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/hiding-from-conflict-300x242.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1479770703162{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}&#8221;][vc_column_text]\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\"><span class=\"dropcap\">O<\/span>ur\u00a0group is safe space, where you can discuss just about any problem you might be\u00a0facing with keeping the peace in your home. The group and I will help you with learning practical steps you can take (rather than just blaming someone or telling them to leave).<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">Once you have registered, I will be sending you some examples of how to handle put downs effectively, and together (in the group) we can brainstorm ideas for comeback lines.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">Please don&#8217;t hesitate to come say hello!<\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<strong>Facebook Secret Group Member\u2019s Special . . .<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>(this special will be open for a short time only and includes downloads of our two best selling books)<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><span style=\"font-size: 24px;\">Click Here:<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #800000; font-size: 24px;\"><strong><a style=\"color: #800000;\" href=\"https:\/\/narcissismcured.com\/blog\/intro-members-special\/\">Intro Member&#8217;s Special<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\" style=\"text-align: center;\">(Includes 2 eBook downloads &#8211; plus 24\/7 group support)<\/p>\n<p class=\"p6\">[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Continued from: (Don&#8217;t Let Politics Divide Your Family this Holiday Season) Dealing with rude or difficult family members requires the use of good comebacks. Having quick comebacks prepared is essential for situations where you are being put down or insulted- they are an effective way to let the other person know that they haven&#8217;t&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2362,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[],"post_series":[84],"class_list":["post-2342","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-codependency-self-help","post_series-articles","entry","has-media"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/narcissismcured.com\/thencmarriage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2342","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/narcissismcured.com\/thencmarriage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/narcissismcured.com\/thencmarriage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/narcissismcured.com\/thencmarriage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/narcissismcured.com\/thencmarriage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2342"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/narcissismcured.com\/thencmarriage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2342\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/narcissismcured.com\/thencmarriage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2362"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/narcissismcured.com\/thencmarriage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2342"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/narcissismcured.com\/thencmarriage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2342"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/narcissismcured.com\/thencmarriage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2342"},{"taxonomy":"post_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/narcissismcured.com\/thencmarriage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_series?post=2342"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}