How to Deal With Pushback Against Your Boundaries During the Holidays

Key points

When someone keeps testing your boundaries, stay consistent — changing them teaches people to keep pushing.

Managing disappointment gets easier when you remember you can care about feelings without fixing them.

Some relationships might not survive boundaries, telling you something about whether they served you.

Part 1 of this series covered why setting boundaries triggers such intense guilt , those cultural messages about "family comes first" run deep. Part 2 covered the six-step process for setting boundaries, from getting clear on your needs to communicating them early and specifically.

But setting the boundary is just the beginning. What happens when your mom says, "But we always do it this way!" or your in-laws stop inviting you? You need strategies for the pushb