The Holidays are Upon Us--What if You're NOT Feeling Jolly?

Everywhere we look at this time of year, we see images of people surrounded by family--laughing, eating, and engaging in general merriment.

But for many of us, these warm images remind us that our family relationships do not live up to this ideal. In fact, our family may be significant a source of pain.

If this is true for you, you are not alone. We have been in recovery from the abuse in our childhood home for more that 30 years. Because they would not join us in healing, we made the decision to cut contact with our parents and brother years ago. And while we have made our peace with this loss, we still mourn for what we did not get, what we will never have--the close, warm, loving family that is ubiquitous during the holiday season.

So, if you are not feeling very jolly...if you can't relate to the happy family images that are part of the holiday season, know that you are not alone...and that we are sending you extra love. And if you are looking for extra support, or strategies for surviving the holiday season, you can check our website, or our podcast, for special information that may be helpful.