This is going to be an awkward Christmas... [View all]
By now my family at large, aunts, uncles, cousins etc largely know that I dropped school again. They know I have "issues" but I've never come out and really told anyone anything in detail. They know how many times I've dropped school of course and the fact that I still live at home, they know a little about me having depression, but not much more than that. A couple know more than others do. I know a few of my cousins and other relatives would just not, DO not, understand. One cousin has always been particularly condescending towards me ever since my problems have become more widely known. She means well I guess but she treats me like a 6 year old and wants to "fix me". That family has always been about success success success anyway and every time I meet them they want to know "what are you doing, what have you done" obviously nothing or very little but they always make a point of asking. Then they go on to wallow in their own achievements. I remember talking to said cousin when I was working 7-11 way back, a time I was doing MUCH better emotionally than now, and she actually said "I couldn't do that, I guess I'm always just focused on the 'bigger picture'" blah blah blah. Anyway as always we will be having everyone over for Christmas dinner and going over to their houses. I'm used to feeling like a failure in their presence but I've been particularly beaten down these past few months. So yeah these family dinners are going to be awkward for me. I'm actually still looking forward to Christmas otherwise. I really wish I could just skip them and have dinner with my immediate family but that would just look worse, they would enquire about what's wrong, why I'm not there etc.
How do you handle these types of things?
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