Holidays are a time when many people have triggers.  Emotions run high so does anxiety and tempers.  Preventive maintenance makes a difference.  Put your boundaries in place.  Tell trusted people what you need to do better during the holidays.  Building your team when you are under less stress so that they are there for you when you are feeling more stress.  I learned about team building from my military friends over at Team Froglogic https://www.facebook.com/Team-Froglogic-86513416996/.  Yes he is on Facebook.  Also search on YouTube for his videos for facing hard stuff.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEY5XuGGvYg Recognize those people in your life that got your back. People that are willing to help even if they don’t understand what you feel. Include professionals like your doctor and therapist.  If you believe in God, you have an awesome team member on your side.  I know that one of the hardest things is to see those that you can trust.  The adults in my life as a child were the ones that were not trustworthy.  Learning how to recognize a person that can be trustworthy is a huge step towards building your team.  For years I had team members in my life that were the ones undermining me and making my life harder.  I had to take them off my team.  I still associate with them but I don’t depend on them for anything.  It also helps to build a larger team base.  Bless my husband he has been a constant in my life but he doesn’t have the skills, patience and understanding to help me with everything I am challenged with.  He wants to, his heart is there but I am one complex puzzle.  I need to find people that help him help me to cope.  The cool thing about being a team member is that I help them too.  The power in working in a team that help each other is that we strengthen each other.  Patch Adams is a movie that describes this beautifully.

I was reviewing emails I sent to my first therapist and came across this story that helps describe the importance of team building.

Spiritual: Are You in the 7%? http://www.dailykindness.com/spiritual-are-you-in-the-7

A Holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said, ‘Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like.’

The Lord led the holy man to two doors.

He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in.
In the middle of the room was a large round table.

In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew, which smelled delicious and made the holy man’s mouth water.

The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly.

They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful.

But because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths.

The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering.

There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man’s mouth water.The Lord said, ‘You have seen Hell. They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one.

The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump,  laughing and talking.

The holy man said, ‘I don’t understand.

‘It is simple,’ said the Lord. ‘It requires but one skill…

You see, they have learned to feed each other. The greedy think only of themselves.’