The holiday season is here and it is full of messages about love, togetherness, joy, and spirit. It truly can be a magical time of gathering and celebrating, but for many people it also is a time of loss, grief, loneliness, conflict and other difficult situations and feelings. This can be compounded by feelings of being wrong, not wanting to be a burden or a downer for other people, resulting in increasing isolation and emotional upset that can spiral into depression, which can prove very difficult to move through.
Here are a few ways to support yourself when the holidays get hard.
The most accessible and direct way to manage feelings is conscious breathing. Taking even just three slow, even, conscious breaths changes our state significantly, It takes us out of our stress state and toward a relaxation response. There are a whole range of breathing techniques that are very helpful, but simply moving awareness from our thoughts to our breath is very effective.
Understand and support yourself in knowing your grief, sadness, anger, or other feelings are valid and deserve the space to be acknowledged and felt.
Seek out support from friends, family, or community. While we do need personal space to work through our feelings, when we get to a point of withdrawal and isolation we are not serving our need for love and connection. Find at least one trusted person who you can share your feelings with and get support. That person can be a therapist, a support group or other source if you don’t want to share with people you know personally.
Practice exquisite self care. Focus on nourishing your body with healthy foods, water, exercise, sleep, and doing the things that bring you happiness. You may not feel like doing these things so it may be useful to connect with others who are also working on health and well being.
Meditation and other spirit centered actions. Engaging with our heart and spirit through meditation, prayer, attending religious or spiritual services and getting out in the wonder of nature can greatly boost mood and help us to both process our difficulties and elevate us to a higher state. If you are new to this possibility try different meditations, practices, and attend gatherings that seem aligned with you.
One of my fellow Inner Peace Press Authors, Amber Lohret, author of Invisible, shares her thoughts on the transformative power of meditation. Perhaps you will resonate with her words as well: https://www.downtoearthsoul.com/blog/transform-your-life-the-power-of-meditation
I leave you here with a wish that no matter what circumstances you are meeting this holiday season, that you be blessed by the light of your own goodness and grace, and that you meet your own heart with the powerful tenderness of deep self love. May that love lead you today, every day, and into the New Year and beyond.
