Hi friends, just a reminder to ALL to be especially gracious with one another this holiday season. Be generous and sensitive and thoughtful in your interactions with family.

This post by Christina Cleveland is really helpful, offering 8 tips for talking to your family about Trump.

The Mighty put out a collection of 29 things people with eating disorders want their family to know at Thanksgiving, and it’s so critical. If you know of or suspect someone in your family has an eating disorder, please read this.

From my perspective as one who battles mental illness, I’ll offer this: holidays can be a huge trigger– and so can travel– and so can unfamiliar situations. When I find myself overwhelmed and away from my comfort zone, sometimes I retreat to things familiar, like checking my phone, being in touch with close friends. Sometimes I just need a little alone time. I know that to some of my family members, this can look like I’m withdrawn or disinterested, but really, I might be just barely keeping things together. I had a family member literally tear my cell phone out of my hands one Thanksgiving, saying, “Get off your phone and be with your family!” He didn’t mean it to be traumatizing, but honestly, in that moment, I was so shaken and had stepped into a separate room to be alone and to text a couple friends, to reach out to something familiar and comfortable, just for a few minutes, just for a small dose of strength and solidarity. I understand that not everyone experiences something like this, so please: just be gracious and aware that there are silent, invisible battles being fought all around your Thanksgiving table. Be your best self.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I’m thankful for YOU!