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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Now as you get ready to entertain your guests this holiday season – you may not be too excited to see some of them. Some you adore and others, well, not so much. Here to help us deal with those pesky relatives is Recovery Expert Marci Hopkins.

Here are a few of her tips:

  • Be prepared with some neutral topics of conversation.
  • Meditate or do what relaxes you to put yourself in a positive headspace.
  • Don’t anticipate the interaction. If you walk in expecting a bad interaction, it will happen.
  • If worse comes to worse, walk away. Excuse yourself to take a walk outside, take some deep breaths, or count to ten silently until you have control of your own emotions again.
  • Understand that while you can’t control their actions, you can control your own response.