Protect Your Peace at Family Gatherings

Before you walk into that holiday gathering, hear this. You know why you

feel drained after every family gathering? It's not because you don't love them. It's because you

forgot something: your energy is a finite resource. You don't have to respond to every

comment. You don't have to fill every silence. You don't have to prove anything.

This year, try this: Before you walk in, visualize a circle around yourself.

Your peace stays in the center. Everything that doesn't serve you? Stays outside.

You can love someone and still protect your energy. That's not selfish. That's self-respect.