Cass

Again, similar to the second one, you could say, that's not something I want to get into today.

If a particular topic comes up that you're not comfortable discussing or you know that it's going to lead to some heated tension, yeah, you can just use that one.

You could just try.

That's not something I want to get into today.

And this one, if you've tried some of the other ones and people still want to talk about that particular heated topic or they're still behaving poorly towards you, you could just say, I'm heading off now.

Thank you for your hospitality.

Goodbye.

So look, I know with some people it's harder to set a boundary than it is with other people.

But at the end of the day, you need to protect your own emotional well-being.

So having these boundaries, it might mean leaving earlier than you planned from an event.

It might mean just taking some quiet breaks here and there throughout the day.

Or if you really know that there's a well-worn path when you get together with certain family members,

You could decide ahead of time how much time you're going to spend in certain situations.

So I don't know, you might say, I'm only going to go for half a day and then we're out of there.

It's really about what works for you.

And also, if something feels too much, it's okay to withdraw.

Stepping away is not failure, it's self-respect.

Money stress at this time of year can add another layer of tension.

We already have a rising cost of living in most nations.

Then add on top of that trying to find the perfect gift for everyone and the pressure to show your love through your spending.