The holidays are always painted as the best time of the year – full of happiness, fun family gatherings and holiday cheer. However, many of us don’t experience this Norman Rockwell kind of holiday. In fact, it is not uncommon to feel pretty bummed during the holiday season. Let’s face it, the holiday season can bring up all kinds of crap that we so desperately tried to ignore the rest of the year.
All kinds of issues tend to surface such as financial hardship, unresolved issues or feelings, relationship conflicts, unhealthy family dynamics, difficult childhood memories, personal regret, grief over the loss of a loved one and, of course, general stress.
As for me, I am generally a happy, laid back person. However, the holidays do dredge up some stuff for me. Even as the founder of Source You Joy, I am not immune to the holiday blues. My mother passed away in 2008 and, since her death, the family dynamics have changed significantly. My siblings and I aren’t that close anymore. As a result, I don’t travel to see them during this time of the year. And, while it’s currently the best decision, it brings up a lot of sadness for me.
So what do I do?
First things first! I let the feelings come up and I have a good cry. This, after all, is part of my healing process. Once I get that out of the way, I focus on other strategies that I find really helpful. Not only do they help me thwart the blues but I am able to shift my energy and actually enjoy the holidays.
Here are some strategies that I use. So, if you’re struggling to get through the holidays too, perhaps you’ll find these useful.
Tips to Beat the Holiday Blues
- Acknowledge and surrender to your feelings, not matter how scary it is and let them flow. If you’re angry, hit some pillow and yell. If you’re sad, cry. Don’t put a lot of pressure on yourself to be happy just because it is the holiday season.
- Anticipate any drama, conflict or issues that might some up and cut them off at the pass!
- Learn to say “no”. Don’t do something just because you feel you have to. Define your boundaries and stick to them.
- Manage your expectations.
- Reach out for support from family and friends – socialize. While your instinct may be to isolate yourself, you are much better off surrounding yourself with people that you care about.
- Avoid drugs and alcohol! If you’re under the influence, you’re more likely to say things you might regret!
- Recognize “old stuff”, acknowledge it as such and release it.
- Consider doing some volunteering to help others.
- Go to a fun event, cool movie or people watch at the mall.
- Get some exercise! Exercise can make a huge difference! Even if it’s just a walk around the block … go out and get your blood pumping.
- Stay off of social media (unless you’re sharing this post, of course!). Seeing everyone else’s happy holiday pics can really cause you to lose perspective because you’ll be comparing your situation to theirs. Avoid this if at all possible.
- Try something new, different or exciting – start a new tradition even if you’re flying solo.
- Get outdoors and experience nature.
- Perform a random, “out of nowhere” act of kindness.
- Imerse yourself in art, reading, writing or music.
So there you have it! 15 strategies you can implement so that you can take care of yourself during the holidays!
Which strategies are you going to use? Don’t just read the list, take action!! Write down at least 5 of them that you will do to make this holiday more enjoyable for yourself.
Also, one important side note: The holiday blues are different than seasonal affective disorder or other types of depression. So, if you continue to experience the blues after the holidays have passed, consider taking a depression test and/or seeking some professional help. There is no shame in that! We can all use some help every now and then!
To Your Joy!
Dana
