Surviving the Holidays After a Year of Mental Breakdown Bingo

The holidays are here, and I’m already bracing for the awkwardness. After a year of breakdowns that put me squarely on everyone’s “Should we be worried?” list, the last thing I want is to be the unofficial conversation topic.

Family gatherings feel like walking into an intervention disguised as dinner. “How’ve you been?” comes with that look, like they’re expecting me to burst into tears or start monologuing about my feelings. Spoiler: I’m planning to do neither. Instead, I’ll be dodging eye contact and volunteering for kitchen duty like my life depends on it.

Honestly, I’m embarrassed. I know people care, but part of me wants to slap a sticker on my forehead that says, “I’m fine now, let’s move on.” Except I’m not entirely fine, and moving on is harder than it looks.

So this year, I’m keeping it simple. No big speeches, no overexplaining. Just showing up, keeping the peace, and hoping everyone’s too distracted by the food to ask too many questions. Wish me luck. If I make it through without a pity hug, I’ll call it a win.