Even in the best of years, the holidays can be a difficult time for many people. The ‘winter blues’ are a tried and true phenomenon—starting around late November and continuing throughout the holiday season, depression numbers spike. This can be due a lot of different things—for some people it is seasonal and comes with the long, dark days of winter. For others, the holidays are reminders of fractured family relationships, loved ones who are no longer with us, and intense loneliness. This year, in the era of COVID that has overtaken most of 2020, it is even more so.
For many people, due to CDC advisories, this might be the first holiday season they haven’t ‘gone home’ or spent with their loved ones. Right now, you might need a little extra support—and you aren’t alone in that. At this point, many of us have been at-home since March and the welcome break we usually get with the holidays isn’t coming. For a lot of people, that means that all of the stress, isolation, and uncertainty that comes with year is piling up—and what we’ve usually done to cope with negative feelings isn’t cutting it anymore.
That’s where therapy comes in.
Stepping into a therapist’s office (virtually, in this case) can help you bridge the gap between where your usual coping mechanisms and the overwhelming stress of 2020 aren’t quite meeting. Therapy can help you learn to curb racing or spiraling thoughts, to practice emotional connection in a safe, structured way, and help you learn more about yourself and what you need.
Outside of therapy, here are three other things to get you through the holidays:
1) Make things as normal as you can.
Decorate your house, put up a tree, light the menorah, mull some wine, bake holiday cookies—even if it’s just for yourself, these rituals can be a great source of comfort. Scrap those thoughts that ‘there’s no reason to bother’. You are enough of a reason. You matter.
2) Connect with people. Set up phone or video calls with your friends, your family, your online community. We all need to feel a little less alone right now.
If you don’t have the energy for that, that’s okay—at least break out the phone or the laptop and send out some holiday greetings messages. Getting a few of those back will feel better than ‘nothing’.
3) Treat. Your. Self.
I don’t recommend maxing out credit cards to do it, but a little healthy retail therapy can help make the holidays still feel ‘special’.
4) If you’re lonely, if you’re sad, if you’re stressed—don’t keep it to yourself.
(Okay, I know it says 4, but this is just #2, 2.0)
Share those feelings with someone. It can create emotional intimacy and strengthen relationships when we do it in healthy ways.
If you feel like you need help with that skill or don’t feel comfortable sharing those thoughts with your friends or family—set up an appointment. We still have appointment this holiday season, and even if you don’t see something on the scheduler that works for you, send an email to info@moonviewcounseling.com.
You don’t have to struggle alone this holiday season.