Setting Healthy Boundaries with Family Over the Holiday Season
The holiday season can be a beautiful time filled with thankfulness and hope. The holidays can also bring difficult family dynamics that can be challenging to navigate. However, there are ways to create a boundaries guide with family or friends to ensure the holiday season is a good season for everyone. Setting boundaries can be challenging, but it’s the best way to ensure longevity in relationships and promote improved mental health for both individuals involved.
Why Are Boundaries Difficult to Set During the Holidays?
The holidays can be a time that brings holiday stress and grief. Everyone has a different relationship with the holiday season, and this means that everyone will need to set different boundaries. The holidays can also bring up internal family conflicts that may bring stress or anxiety for members of the family. The holidays also bring more time with family than usual. This might bring more stress, depending on the relationships people have with their family. Some people also might put stress on themselves to make the holidays perfect. Pressures from society and peers can make us feel bad if our holidays seem less than perfect.
What Healthy Boundaries Look Like
Healthy boundaries are any limits that are aimed at protecting a person’s well-being and mental health. Healthy boundaries can be centered around our emotions, our time, how we communicate, or how we spend our time. If you are feeling burnt out or are struggling with your mental health, this might be a sign that you need stronger boundaries in your life.
How to Set Boundaries During the Holidays
Setting boundaries during the holidays may be difficult at first, but it will usually become easier with time. The first step to setting boundaries is thinking about what your specific needs are in your life and during the holidays. You may reflect on situations during past years of holidays and think about which things were difficult or stressful for you. The next step in creating boundaries is to communicate them to family and friends. It’s important you explain your boundaries in a way that expresses how you feel without placing blame on the other person. One way to do this is to use “I” statements as a way of putting the focus on your role in the situation. It’s important to prepare for backlash with boundaries in case your family or friends are resistant to your boundaries. This doesn’t always mean these people are not being supportive of you; it may just mean they don’t understand why boundaries are needed. Having open and honest conversations about boundaries is the best way to ensure their longevity.
We want to express the importance of these holiday mental health tips in improving readers’ well-being and mental health throughout the holidays and the year beyond. Setting boundaries is not selfish. Setting boundaries is a way to protect our mental health in a way that we can show up the way we want to in our relationships. Even though the holidays are meant to be a joyful time, not everyone feels that way. It’s important to be compassionate to ourselves and others during the holidays and the year beyond. Oftentimes, people are fighting battles or stressful situations that we know nothing about.
If you think setting boundaries might be helpful for your mental health, we hope that these tips have helped you. If you (or someone you love) may benefit from therapy, we are here for you! Reach out to us today if you are ready to start your journey.
References
https://today.duke.edu/2025/11/beat-holiday-stress-strategies-protect-your-peace
https://today.duke.edu/2025/11/beat-holiday-stress-strategies-protect-your-peace
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/conquering-codependency/202112/healthy-holiday-boundaries
Keywords: holiday stress, holiday mental health tips, boundaries guide