GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — Around the Thanksgiving table, awkward conversations are sure to come up: politics, relationships, parenting advice, judgments on lifestyles and more.
Dr. Lyndsay Volpe-Bertram has tips to deal with what she called "Table Grenades" this holiday.
First, do not be afraid to reach out to your family and set boundaries before the meal. Let people know which topics are off-limits because people will have different opinions.
Next, prepare ahead of time how to handle certain topics. Practice what you will say when asked a difficult question, so you can handle it without becoming too emotional.
"Practice saying it to yourself, or in the mirror or to another person in your life," said Volpe-Bertram, "So that when the time comes to pull that out, you feel very fluent and competent in how you put it out there."
Next, redirect topics that do arise that are making people uncomfortable.
"If Uncle Fred put something out there and you can just see the tension rising in the room," said Volpe-Bertram, "It's okay to be like, 'Hey, Uncle Fred, I don't think that's good right now,' right? Like, 'can we talk about the Lions or something else?' Maybe that won't get people feeling as worked up."
Finally, she reminds you cannot control what other people say, only how you respond to it.
"Even if in those moments you don't feel like you're emotionally in a place where you can respond to it, it's okay to take a few deep breaths and walk away," said Volpe-Bertram. "It's okay to say you're going to walk away, it's okay to say you're gonna have a conversation."
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