No News is Good News

Just about two months ago (at the end of October, 2018,) my subscription to a newspaper ran out, and I have not made any attempt to replace it. Yes, I do read two Jewish periodicals—one daily and one weekly, but they do not cover:

• ·         Most crimes
• ·         Most of President Trump’s tweets
• ·         Most updates to the issue of Russian interference in the 2016 US national election
• ·         Most discussions of sexual anything—harassment, assault, rape, incest, Hollywood and Bollywood excesses, etc.
• ·         Most speculation as to whether there will be war in this or that corner of the world.

(I do also keep up with scientific and medical news, particularly psychiatric research.)

And since I also have no television and do not listen to news on the radio, I have had about two months just about completely free from anxiety as to world and national affairs. Of course, during that time there have been worries, such as occasioned by the pollution from the Camp Fire which reached San Francisco where I live for a bit over two weeks in November, 2018. But nothing like the repetitive and serious fears that journalists are wont to unleash.

The result is just about pure serenity. Conceivably, you might want to try something similar.

Note to Readers: Due to the majority observance of the Christmas holiday, there will be no post on December 25, 2018. I normally post on Tuesdays. There WILL be a post on New Year's Day.

Apologize "Insincerely!"

There are two sides to every issue. Apologize when a family member thinks that you are in the wrong. You may think that you are being “insincere.” Apologize anyway. Once you are past the heat of the moment, you may determine that you should have been sincere!

Your family members in the past may have “humored” you as a way of dealing with ideas of yours that they thought—perhaps reasonably—weren’t sane. Use this tactic yourself now as a tool to bring harmony to family relationships. Say that you are sorry for what they say that you did. You can be as hypocritical in your own mind as you like; you may even think that you are lying outright. Just do it. The outcome will be greater comfort in your home. A boon indeed.

In the Interests of Family Peace and Harmony, Show an Interest!

Now that you’ve said that you appreciate what your family had been doing for you during all those years of your challenging behaviors, what can you do to improve your relationship in the long term?

Make friends with each of your family members, each one in his or her own right and turn.

Show that you want to know details about their:

·         interests,

·         hobbies,

·         doings,

·         activities, and

·         problems.

What if they, or one of them, withdraws and will not give you any details about their lives? Just blithely go on expressing interest! “Once burned, twice shy,” they may feel. They don’t want to be vulnerable to your crushing their hearts again. Eventually, they may come around. Meanwhile, you can feel satisfied that you are doing all that you can.