21st December, 2021

How to Cope With Nightmare Relatives and Colleagues Without Losing the Plot

With Rachel Morris

Dr Rachel Morris

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On this episode

Holidays and celebrations often come with their own set of obstacles and difficulties. Our idea of a perfect holiday never happens because our own assumptions and unrealistic expectations get in the way and lead to an environment filled with conflict.

In this special Christmas episode, Corrina Gordon-Barnes shows us the groundwork for setting a peaceful and successful holiday season while navigating difficult relationships with relatives or colleagues.

She guides us through taking off the expectation of a perfect holiday with our family and facing reality in ourselves and others. Corrina talks about the ways you can act within your zone of power to resolve conflict. She also walks us through what we can do during difficult gatherings and how to shift routine actions to create different outcomes.

It’s the season for countless gatherings and reunions. Tune in to improve your strained relationships with relatives and co-workers through empathy and letting go of past assumptions.

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Reasons to listen

  1. Learn how to make people meet your wants and needs without resorting to manipulation.
  2. Discover how to reframe your assumptions and biases about yourself and other people.
  3. Find out how to recognise when you’re being difficult and what you can do to resolve the conflict.

Episode highlights

05:42

Corrina’s Background 

07:18

Celebrating the Holiday with Difficult Family Members

09:54

Facing Reality Without Lowering Your Expectations

13:57

Dealing with Teenagers and Tablets over Christmas

16:01

How to De-escalate Uncomfortable Conversations 

19:31

What to Do When Their Answer Is No

21:21

How to Keep Your Boundaries 

23:34

Expecting the Pushback and Having Empathy Without Being Patronising

29:10

Dealing with

Episode transcript

Introduction: If you want more peace, if you want more connection, if that person is the way they are, you can either fight about it, argue about it, complain about it—you can do all that forevermore—many, many people do. But if you are wanting to feel more peaceful, if you’re wanting to feel more powerful, then it has to come back to you. And if you do that not as “I have to do it.” but “I want to do this because I want to feel more more peaceful, more more harmonious, more powerful, more effective.”, you’re not doing it…

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