Soul Sustenance - Going No-Contact During the Holidays

 US Thanksgiving and the holiday season is right around the corner. This is a time normally spent with families and friends. However, what if you have or want to go no contact with your family? 

Going no contact with family members for the holiday season refers to the deliberate choice to cut off or minimize communication and interaction with certain family members during a time traditionally marked by togetherness and celebration. This decision is often the result of ongoing family conflict, abuse, or toxic dynamics, and the individual feels that distancing themselves is necessary for their own mental and emotional well-being. While the holiday season can amplify feelings of loneliness and isolation for those who choose this path, many find it a necessary step to heal and protect themselves from further harm or stress.

Why is it important to listen to your gut instinct when choosing to go no contact?

Award-winning author Alle C. Hall explains, “Going no contact is a sobering step, especially around the holidays. When the world feels so full of joy and light and happy families, it is hard to feel as if you don’t have one. However, if you have taken the serious position that your relationships in question are too painful, too dangerous, you do need to keep that commitment. Here is where “One day at a time” really helped me through. For that day, not only did I stay away from those who could harm me–emotionally as well as physically–but I made an extra point to connect with the people that did mean something to me. Many times, that meant other women who were in the healing circles that I was in. We all felt lonely when alone, but full of that holiday light when we were together. There really are a lot of ways to identify “family”.”

Now available as an audiobook, Alle C. Hall’s award-winning novel, “As Far As You Can Go Before You Have To Come Back,” is a story about a survivor of abuse who discovers the path to healing after she escapes her abusive family.