What games could I play?

How much stress do you normally experience when you spend time with your family, in-laws, or co-workers who are on a different wavelength to you? Have you got relatives who give you a hard time? Maybe you married the favourite cousin and you're 'not good enough'? Do some of them think it's 'fun' to laugh at your views on life? Or perhaps they're just plain mean ELFs who know you're an easy mark?

If you dread family, workplace or other gatherings with people who are not in your zone, try these games and create a difference. 

• Gratitude Trumps, for when your get togethers are full of robust discussion or outright fighting full of individuals crying out for more attention. This game gifts the ones giving you the hardest time the attention they seek. With gentleness and allowance, say "I'm so grateful that you are in my life. You are such a gift." And smile. 
• Expand Outwards Reverse Origami, whenever you start to feel you're folding, stapling, mutilating, or contracting yourself to fit into someone else's reality box, or you're gasping in the vacuum because they've sucked all the oxygen out of the room, or you feel pinned beneath the weight of your family/boss' baggage and expectations.
• ​Nurture You Monopoly, where no matter arrangements your family or workplace has made, you pre-plan a time and place to do something you really enjoy.
• Interesting Point of View Dominos, for whenever you sense someone is looking to criticise, hurt, insult, or provoke you, smile, nod gently and — without heat — reply "Hmm, really interesting point of view."
• Snakes and Bring Downers, for when you know the Snakes who always bite you when you least expect it because that's their instinct, and the Bring Downers, who simply get a kick out of making your life hell and bringing you down, will be at the party. When they start giving you hell at the party, smile and acknowledge them for being really great at what they do. How? When they start with the biting and the bringing down — without heat — say "Wow, you're really good at doing that!" When they ask you what you're talking about reply "Whatever you're doing now. What is that?" Then listen with interesting point of view energy. Or walk away, with a nurturing smile to yourself. 

Enjoy the Silly Season. ​