Many of you will be with family this week and some of those interactions may carry a lot of weight. You may have already found yourself wishing it was 3 years ago and you had the pandemic to help you graciously back out of something you try and talk yourself out of every year.

Family is hard.

And many of us have such a deep-seated sense of obligation that you can’t even entertain the idea that you have a choice not to be with them.

Even without a pandemic, RSV, or snow and ice-covered roads, you can simply say, “No, thank you.” and make a choice not to be somewhere that makes you feel bad about yourself or like you are constantly in a state of hyper vigilance wondering what is coming next.

Family is not owed your time.

Obligation is shame-based manipulation and unhealthy relationship dynamics.

It doesn’t make you bad if you choose not to be with people who make you feel bad about yourself or where you don’t feel seen.

If you do not want to go, it’s okay not to go.

That’s okay.

But if you do go, reclaim your power. You are choosing to go.

And you can choose how you show up, what boundaries you set and how you frame your experience.

Inspired to go deeper and really enact change in your life?

If you are tired of piece mealing the work together and feeling stuck with exactly what to do and how to go about it, check out my immersive 5-Phase program, "That Life AR" that is designed to walk you through the 5 steps involved in making any meaningful and sustainable life change.

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