Blog

7 Tips on Handling Family Drama (Proven Strategies)
Wednesday, December 12, 2018 by Dee Lundgren MA, LPC

Handle negative comments graciously. Don’t respond in kind to a hurtful comment. Not every question asked needs a lengthy answer.

 

Practice “detached amusement.” We can’t change others but we can stand back watching with detached amusement.

 

Learn the lesson from Job’s friends in the Bible. In the Old Testament after Job’s catastrophic tragedies, his friends showed up.  Each of his three friends had an explanation for Job’s problems. All three wrongly blamed him for his trials.

 

Prepare emotionally through visualization. Walking through the holidays in your mind to prepare for the real thing.

 

Agree ahead of time to not discuss known controversial topics.

 

Arm yourself with an emotional body guard to avoid being alone with a toxic relative. Some people are so toxic that it is helpful to ask a spouse or a trusted relative to stay with you during the family event.

 

Pray. Ask God to protect your heart and use you in the lives of your family.

 

Lord, I pray for my friends who are anticipating possible family conflict. I ask for wisdom, grace, and patience. I ask that you would help us to be people that respond rather than react. Prepare our hearts for the upcoming family gatherings this month. We want our interactions to be God-honoring. We love you and we trust you. And most of all we thank you for sending us your Son who died in our place that we might have life—life eternal. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

***If you don’t want to miss the weekly blog posts sign-up on the Home Page.

#Grief #Loss #FamilyDrama #Counseling #HelpHopeandHealing #Author

Share This Blog:


Comments

Joann sebastiano From Yardley At 12/14/2018 2:33:54 PM

Thanks Dee for sharing that very motivational and needed message. Great tips for dealing with toxic relationships

Reply by: Dee Lundgren

Your welcome. Thanks for reading. Have a great Christmas!

Previous Posts

Healing through Rest
Dee Lundgren MA LPC
3/5/2021

Real hope in perilous times
Dee Lundgren M.A., L.P.C.
3/22/2020

The Craziness of Grief
Dee Lundgren MA LPC
9/14/2019

How I Almost Missed Out
Dee Lundgren MA LPC
8/23/2019

Weathering the Storms of Life
Dee Lundgren MA LPC
8/15/2019

Is There Purpose in Pain? (And Why it Matters)
Dee Lundgren MA LPC
4/27/2019

Good Grief
Dee Lundgren MA LPC
4/11/2019

The Truth About Grief (And How God Uses It for Our Good)
Dee Lundgren MA LPC
4/4/2019

Is It Ok for a Christian to be Depressed?
Dee Lundgren MA LPC
3/27/2019

The Truth about the Good Old Days
Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
3/22/2019

Do You Struggle with What God Allows?
Dee Lundgren MA LPC
3/13/2019

Keep Walking
Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
2/26/2019

Embrace Your Season
Dee Lundgren MA LPC
2/23/2019

How to Have Peace in a Chaotic World
Dee Lundgren MA LPC
2/12/2019

There's Always Hope
Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
2/5/2019

Prayer the Solution to a Common Condition
Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
1/29/2019

The Connection Between Health and Loss--My Personal Story
Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
1/22/2019

How Not to Be Cranky
Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
1/16/2019

Does God Promise Healing?
Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
1/8/2019

An Answer to a Desperate Prayer
Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
1/1/2019

Santa on Social Media?
Dee Lundgren, M.A., LPC
12/26/2018

5 Myths of Christmas
Dee Lundgren, M.A., LPC and Patricia Durgin
12/17/2018

7 Tips on Handling Family Drama (Proven Strategies)
Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
12/12/2018

God's Promise to the Weary
Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
12/4/2018

Hope for the Frazzled Part Two
Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
11/27/2018

Hope for the Frazzled
Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
11/20/2018

8 Pitfalls to Avoid being Stuck
Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
11/14/2018

Problems as Gifts
Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
11/5/2018

Breaking Free from Past Losses
Dee Lundgren, M.A., LPC and Patricia Durgin
10/30/2018

God's Bootcamp
Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
10/23/2018

Time Out
Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
10/16/2018

Freedom through Forgiveness
Dee Lundgren MA LPC
10/9/2018

What Not to Do When Dreams Turn to Nightmares
Dee Lundgren MA LPC
10/2/2018

God's Detours
Dee Lundgren MA LPC
9/25/2018

My Personal Grief Journey--Part 2
Abbigail Kalaf MS LPC BCPCC
9/11/2018

My Personal Grief Journey--Part 1
Abbigail Kalaf MS LPC BCPCC
9/4/2018

Where is God in the Storm?
Dee Lundgren MA LPC
8/28/2018

Getting to the Other Side of Grief
Dee Lundgren MA LPC
8/21/2018

Billy Graham's Insights on Grieving
Dee Lundgren MA LPC
8/14/2018

When Doing Right Turns Out Wrong
Dee Lundgren MA LPC
8/7/2018

The Connection between Clutter and Grief
Dee Lundgren MA LPC
7/31/2018

A Simple Quiz on Grief
Dee Lundgren MA LPC
7/24/2018

The #1 Gift to Give to a Grieving Friend
Dee Lundgren MA LPC
6/26/2018

10 Things Not to Say to a Grieving Person
Dee Lundgren MA LPC
6/19/2018

Do Christians Grieve Differently?
Dee Lundgren MA LPC
6/5/2018

Press on Toward the Goal
Dee Lundgren MA LPC
5/22/2018

From Brokenness to Wholeness Podcast
Dee Lundgren MA LPC
5/8/2018

The Blessing of Walking by Faith
Dee Lundgren MA LPC
5/1/2018

Grief Ten Years Later
Dee Lundgren MA LPC
1/20/2018

Welcome, My First Blog
Dee Lundgren MA LPC
1/19/2018