Let’s face it: The holidays can be a real test of our mental health and well-being. For a few days (or if you’re “lucky,” a couple of weeks), we find ourselves outside our comfortable work routines and spending time with family members and friends we might see only once a year. If your family is like most, there are all sorts of emotional undercurrents running through these reunions.  Ancient roles, inescapable expectations, historic feuds, and long-running issues pollute what could be a fairly happy time — if only we could figure out how to connect to our own (and subsequently others’) happiness.

In the last couple of years I’ve spent a fair chunk of time exploring the topic of happiness. And here’s the great news: I am absolutely certain that you can (if you spend a little effort trying) teach yourself and your family group to be happier and to interact more positively. In this post, I share some of my recent podcasts that can get you started. I hope you find them valuable. And… HAPPY (Yes, Happy!) HOLIDAYS!!

Inspired Project Teams Posts & Podcasts

Below are three podcasts from my Inspired Project Teams blog. (You can read these online or download them as audios from the website or iTunes.) These podcasts are focused on project teams. But, as one of the podcasts explains, families aren’t all that different from project teams. They are often a collection of people trying to accomplish something together and have a successful outcome. So most of the techniques for inspiring and improving team relationships can easily be applied to families. In particular, the podcasts below seem to apply.

When individual family members are happy, there’s a better chance the entire family will be  happy! But how can anyone become happier? To begin to answer this question, I share 10 specific actions that I’ve taken to create more happiness in my life.

In his book The Power of TED, David Emerald compares two very different ways of being: The Dreaded Drama Triangle (or DDT) versus The Empowerment Dynamic (or TED). I’m betting that you can look around your family and find many examples of Victims, Persecutors, and Rescuers locked in the DDTs. Find out how to heal them through the power of TED.

The title says it all.

Blog Post from The Best Free Training

This post includes links to my 3-part series, The Science of Happiness.

I hope some of these help you find more happiness within yourself and, ultimately, more happiness in your holiday gatherings! Happy Holidays!