Three of the best comebacks if a family member gaslights you over the Christmas period, according to a lawyer
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CHRISTMAS may be the season of goodwill – but it's also the season of many a family fall-out. Being forced into spending time with relatives you don't necessarily get along with can lead to arguments and feuds that take all the fun out of the festivities.
![[A lawyer has shared three tips for dealing with a gaslighter]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/9ed5bd2e-ebfd-4c64-9df7-7fb08458c242_231c14.jpg?strip=all&w=725)
And one manipulative behaviour in particular that can rear its ugly head at Christmas, is gaslighting. Whether it's to do with heightened stress or long-established tensions and conflict narratives between family members, it's a psychological tactic that sadly lots of people resort to.
![[His TikTok post has been flooded with comments from people who have tried – or want to try – his advice]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/b196c632-7552-41f5-9c28-9eb00c15c586_a58b37.jpg?strip=all&w=708)
And being on the receiving end can make you feel like you're going completely crazy. It goes on to say that being gaslit "typically leads to confusion, loss of confidence and self-esteem, uncertainty of one's emotional or mental stability, and a dependency on the perpetrator.".
![[His approach is all about repeating simple phrases that will keep you in control]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2td4wyh-man-sitting-celebration-christmas-956576893.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
If you're keen to avoid the same patterns this Christmas when it comes to dealing with a disruptive family member, then one lawyer has shared his advice for what to say when someone gaslights you. Posting on TikTok, Jefferson Fisher explained his number one rule is to say, "as little as possible".
This is because a gaslighter will set out to distract you with multiple issues, that will have you constantly chasing after them in the conversation. "So the less you say, the less you chase," he reasoned. To do that, his second piece of advice is to repeat a phrase that acknowledges what the gaslighter is saying.
