Holidays and special events demand more from you, your time, energy, and patience.
Toss in the effects of conflict and grief due to some life loss event and the holidays can become something that leaves you feeling overwhelmed, something you fear, or maybe even downright dread.
There are a few simple strategies that can help you navigate the holidays with a little more confidence, grace, and ease. Self awareness, self acceptance, and self care, Neighbor, are major components in you being okay as you transition through the holidays with grief on your mind and hope in your heart.
Let’s face it, the holidays can be a stark reminder of what has gone missing from your life and with that comes a range of emotions that may collide to leave you feeling fatigued, frustrated, depressed, confused, angry, overwhelmed, or [insert your whatever.]
Sometimes these emotions will feel like an ambush and sometimes they will feel like a backdrop for your days and nights.
When these emotions begin to drag you down or hold you back, you may get frustrated about feeling frustrated or overwhelmed about feeling overwhelmed.
Most of us have been there, Neighbor, in that place where we beat ourselves up for being human and experiencing human emotions. To this day, my counselor’s words echo back from more than two decades: “Annah, don’t get depressed about being depressed.”
This simple, yet profound, statement applies to all of those emotions: Don’t get angry about being angry, sad about being sad, or create even more fatigue by obsessing over how tired you are.
Being okay with not being okay comes when you recognize how you’re feeling and then accept those emotions as a temporary and valuable part of your grief and healing.
Once you’ve accepted that your thoughts and emotions are a natural part of your grief and conflict, you are in a position to decide your next move.
You may simply sit in witness of your experience and know that it doesn’t have to become any bigger nor will it last forever (despite how it feels right now.)
You may choose to use some of the other healing tips we’ve offered in some of our other articles and videos.
Maybe you’ll take a walk or a bubble bath. Maybe you’ll sit down to watch your favorite Hallmark Holiday movie or phone a friend to join you for coffee or tea.
Ask yourself which facets are being affected and then choose what works for you in the immediate moment and then moving forward.
Make it your self care mantra, Journeyer: “It’s okay to not be okay.”
If you have tips or strategies that have been helpful to you, please share them in a comment below for as we like to say, “Together we are helping heal worlds of hurt.” And if you have a question you’d like Annah Elizabeth to answer, let us know!