by One thing I love about family reunions will be the food. My family have traditional recipes that I never learned and I can only enjoy them in weddings, birthdays and anniversaries of family members.
During Family reunions though , there are those members of the family you cannot stand. There is this annoying cousin who will brag his achievements and rub it to your face and look down on you as a loser. There is this annoying uncle with radical political views. There is this nosy aunt who will ask you why are you still single and what is your weight. So how to deal with those people. One thing is for sure, You cannot change them, Blood might be thicker than water but you don't want to deal with toxic blood.
How to survive that party without dealing with them.
1.Ride Under the radar. Do not wear clothing that will make you noticeable. If its too chic or too bland, they will notice, wear something that will not caught their attention. This way the person who will suffer the burden of dealing with them will be another member of the family. Let your noticeable cousin or sibling to take one for the team.
2. Socialize with the family members you like instead- Why talk you Aunt Karen if you can talk with your favorite aunt instead. Why talk with your racist grand-uncle if you can be talk with your cool cousin. Yes annoying relatives exist but likable relatives also exist and you can communicate with them instead. I have some relatives I cannot stand but I also have family members I am cool with. So I will talk with them instead.
3. Wear headphones/earplugs/airpods and play music on your ears during the dining time. So you want have to hear their comments that could be offensive to you.
4.Control your patience- These people can be triggering but be the better person. Try to be calm as much as possible even if you want to punch them on the face.
5.If you got cornered by them, Let them hear what they want to hear. Act like a good listener and find your way out and an excuse so you can end your conversation with them.
6. Greet them and walk away- Say, hi hello and go somewhere else in the house so you wont look rude. Try to be polite while avoiding them.
7.If you are in a conversation with them try to change the subject. I have relatives who are super religious and I always try to change topic when they want to talk about religion.
