Family: A Burden to Have, a Burden Not to Have

The holidays are a perfect time to reflect on the burden that is our family. Either your relatives are pressuring you to come home — even amid the pandemic — or they’re not around any longer for you to enjoy time with them. Or, they’re alive but estranged from you due to an unsurmountable personality disorder, a falling out, or some mix of the two.

Either way, it sucks! It stresses you out. Maybe you’re filled with sadness and grief, or maybe guilt overwhelms you. Whatever the feeling, it’s not positive.

The same is true for all days of the year. Whether it’s the taxing relationship with your mom, your concern for a disabled sibling, power struggles with dad, or mourning the family members that are no longer alive, it can hurt. Badly.

Whichever camp you fall into, family is a burden. They’re either a burden to have, or a burden not to have.

This is also true for those of us who love our families dearly. The love itself is burdensome, even if it’s wonderful.

In a way, this reminder liberates me. We each have an immense weight on our shoulders; it just exists in different forms.

Come to peace with yours.