Wait, don’t stop reading yet! I still inwardly groan at the idea of meditation too but hear me out. I have heard about mindfulness and meditation for years now. They always sounded good, like something peaceful happy people would do. Not feeling as serene and content as I would like to, as often as I would like to, I was not sure meditation or mindfulness were for me. In other words, they had felt unattainable.
The combination of having a desperate need for keeping my calm (three children under the age of three) and being continually presented with research on the benefits of mindfulness and meditation led me to give first meditation followed by mindfulness a shot. I have stuck with both since.
As we plan our holiday visits, it is not uncommon to have a sense of unease or even dread about being around certain family members. Perhaps you could handle that family member for a few hours on holidays but what becomes very difficult to walk through is the tension that seeps into our relationship as one or both people in a couple start to think about an upcoming visit with family.
