Hiding a layoff from the family, bad idea?

I was laid off 26 weeks ago and have not told my family because I do not want them to worry. It has been a long 26 weeks. Bills are coming up and I cannot keep this quiet. How did you handle it?

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it 2 months ago, and it got easier once I kept a simple log of every call and form.