A Practical Guide to Coping with the Holidays
By Jessica Dergance, LCSW, ACSW
Life Balance Counseling & Wellness
Therapist
Close your eyes and picture a holiday scene from a movie or TV show. You probably have images of a beautiful white Christmas, families and friends laughing at holiday parties and mountains of gifts being shared with each other. What you don’t see is the anxiety and stress that can be almost overwhelming at this time of year: expectations that we place on ourselves, past hurts that emerge and keep you up at night and the financial pressures that mount during this time of year. Just thinking about it causes stress!
While the holidays are approaching quickly, you still have time to make a few small changes to help this holiday season be more manageable and maybe even enjoyable!
Try not to overschedule yourself: Check in with yourself to see if you are getting pulled in too many directions. Ask yourself how YOU want to spend your time. Focus on spending time with the people who you want to be with and doing the things that are most important to you.
Meditate: Prioritize time to quiet your mind and rid yourself of thoughts that are tormenting you. You can do a more formal meditation practice or you can take a few moments to reflect on 3 things that you are grateful for. Either way, it will shift your thinking and give you space to be present centered and regroup. Even taking 30 seconds to focus on your breathing can give you a little reset.
Acknowledge your feelings: Holidays can trigger many unresolved feelings and emotions. Give yourself time to feel what you are feeling. Do not push your feelings away or avoid them, that causes you more anxiety and stress. Journaling your feelings can help get them out of your mind and onto paper.
Get comfortable with saying NO!: If you have reached your limit and you need to step back, do so and try not to feel guilty about it. Remember to make your health and wellness a priority.
Maintain (or develop) healthy habits: Whether it’s fueling your body with healthy foods, taking a long walk, going to a yoga class, taking a bubble bath, drinking a cup of hot tea or any other self-care strategy, focusing on health and wellness can build resilience to help you tackle the demands of the holiday season.