You 'should' be happy this time of year
So they say.
Culturally Enough. is a community of anyone who straddles more than one culture. All are welcome regardless of age, gender, race, culture, sexuality, and so on. I am so pleased you are here. Welcome home.
We have a leaderboard now! By sharing this newsletter and referring friends you can now earn comped months of the paid subscription! Congrats to Helen for earning her first referral reward!
We have a few exciting updates this month! Keep reading to the end!
Happy holidays! Have fun with family! Enjoy spending time together! It’s the season of love and laughter! Happy! Merry! Together! Love! Peace!
This time of year can be exhausting. We are all dealing with expectations that are both imposed on us and self-imposed. For some of us, we are expected to prioritize family — or relatives — we don’t feel safe, or authentic, or good around. For others, we struggle with letting go of expectations that maybe things will be different this year. Many will set expectations around how to “end the year” the right way.
We are all navigating traditions that we may or may not align with. Traditions we don’t understand. Traditions we don’t believe in. Traditions we want to maintain. We all are navigating our own family and cultural norms of how to act, behave, talk, and engage with others.
And most of us are still trying to figure out how the heck to set and maintain boundaries to protect our wellness, mental health and sanity. We’re told you “should” be happy but what if you aren’t or aren’t sure how to be right now? Let me help.
We had a trial run with Thanksgiving; how did it go?
What does it look like to go home for the holidays and be in an environment that might be chaotic or unsettling? How can you take care of yourself when you are going to be around people who might constantly misunderstand you, or who you don’t feel connected or comfortable around?
In Western conversations around boundary setting, a lot of the advice can be extreme or rigid. Just don’t go. Say no. Stick to the consequences. Is this bad advice? Not necessarily. Is it doable for everyone? Not necessarily.
When I polled the community last year, 93% of you said you crave culturally-sensitive tips for taking care during the holidays. That’s what is motivating this month’s newsletter theme.
Do you have a common holiday struggle you experience (like, your aunt always commenting on your weight)? Comment or respond to this email so I can be sure to address it this month and/or in my upcoming webinar!
December schedule
December 7: Weekly discussion thread
December 10: Community conversation club on Zoom at 1pm-2pm ET (link to come)
December 11: A weekly letter on expectations, norms, traditions, values, and rules. I’ll also explore CULTURAL expectations around the holidays. + I’ll be announcing my webinar!
December 14: Weekly discussion thread
December 18: Breakdown of boundaries 101
December 19: Community conversation club on Zoom at 7pm-8pm ET (link to come)
December 21: Weekly discussion thread
December 25: Monthly Recommendations and Resources (+ end of year reflections for you)
December 28: Weekly discussion thread
December 29: Pick a winner for the book giveaway (see below)
Exciting Announcements
📚 BOOK GIVEAWAY: This month we are giving away one copy of Drama Free by Nedra Tawwab. You must be a paid subscriber on Dec. 28 when winner is chosen. Only paid subscribers are entered into the giveaway!
💻OPEN ZOOMS: We are opening up both our community conversation clubs to EVERYONE this month. If you ever wanted to try them out and see what they are about before committing to a paid subscription, this is your chance! Tell your friends! Links to come (schedule above!)
📝WEBINAR AND WORKSHEET: I am going to be offering my first paid webinar this month, and it’s going to have so much goodness for you to navigate the holidays this year (+ details on dealing with the most common holiday struggles) from a culturally informed perspective! I can’t wait to share it! Stay tuned!
*Disclaimer: Culturally Enough. is not therapy, a mental health service, nor is it a substitute for mental health services of any kind. I am not showing up in this space as your therapist — I am showing up here as a curiosity-driven writer, peer, and a human. If you are looking for therapy, please consult with your local mental health resources.