Here’s a strategy to get through stressful holiday gatherings: Act like a dull rock

By JAMIE DUCHARME

The holidays are a time of merriment, festivity — and, for many, tense family gatherings.

People think, ”’How do I deal with relatives who, at times, are intrusive or trigger me or say things that are abusive?” said Mark Rapaport, president-elect of the American Psychiatric Association.

When trying to defuse stressful family dynamics , some people use a strategy called “gray rocking.”

The point is to “act boring, like a gray rock,” said Samantha Whiten, a Maryland-based clinical psychologist. “You do not give difficult people any potential ammunition.”

Is gray rocking actually a smart way to survive the holiday season? Here’s what experts said.

When it can be helpful

The gray rock method is perhaps best known as a tool for managing interactions with narcissisti