Surviving & Thriving During the Holiday Season
While the holidays are meant to be a fun relaxing time, sometimes...they are anything but! For some people, the holidays = stress!
Time spent with family can be difficult, relationships may be on your mind, and money issues can compound. Let’s not even get started on the changes that COVID-19 has wrought on our lives, let alone our holiday traditions!
Let’s talk about how to actually enjoy the holidays while managing your mental health...
Understand Your Stressors
I understand the holidays can be a real struggle. Guess what? The holidays don’t have to be a source of stress for you. It’s good to understand what about the holidays stresses you out, and why. This can help you survive and thrive this holiday season and afterward.
Here are some common stressors I hear about at Open Heart Holistic:
Family
Sometimes time with family can’t be avoided. They are your family, and they’re a part of who you are. So, let’s be real: if your family is not healthy for your mental health, don’t risk your wellbeing to please them, or anyone! Don’t visit them if it is going to set you back or cause undue pain or stress. I know that it can be hard, but it’s best to think about what is best for you, even on the holidays! But, if your family is not a hindrance to your health, just a normal bit stressful, try to enjoy some time spent with them.
Here on some quick tips for holidays with the fam:
Keep the visit short and sweet.
Bring a friend. The buddy system is great!
Repeat some mantras if things get a little too stressful.
Take a walk around the block if needed.
Come ready with an excuse to bow out early if you are uncomfortable.
These are great tips, but it’s also important to check in and look at yourself. Why is it making you so stressed out? Many people experience this family stress because of unresolved conflicts from the past. You may have been hurt as a child, and you has no control over that circumstance. But you have the choice of how to interact with your family. With Emotional Polarity Technique™ we dig deep to let go of the past stress, so you can feel peace with who you are in your family and who they are (doing the best they know how to do). Here are some statements to release that stress:
I forgive myself for believing I have to feel the same stress in my family that I felt in childhood.
I forgive myself for believing I can’t feel peace, mercy or compassion in my family.
I forgive myself for believing my family is too stressful.
I forgive myself for holding on to past family stress that isn’t happening now.
I forgive myself for believing this family stress will always be true in my life.
It’s important to let go of stress from your birth family, otherwise you’re likely to see the same stress in your chosen family.
I forgive my family for being stressful.
I forgive my family for not changing.
I forgive my family for not noticing how stressed they make me.
I forgive my family for valuing stress as a way to keep us together.
Sometimes stress is the only thing keeping the family together. Let love be what keeps you together.
I give my family permission to forgive me when I blame them for my stress.
I give my family permission to forgive me when I make them stressed.
If we don’t recognize, reconcile, and forgive, the patterns will repeat until resolved. Let’s bring in the good stuff:
Without this stress, I am free to be with my family and set healthy boundaries with compassion and love.
Without this stress, I am free to have peace in my own family, and move past the old stressful patterns.
Without this stress, I am free to let go and forgive the past conflicts.
Without this stress, I am free to choose love, forgiveness, and happiness, in my family.
Feeling overly stressed this holiday season? Depressed or anxious? Schedule a virtual or in-person EPT session at Open Heart Holistic!
Entertaining
You can say no!! Seriously...Remember my post about setting boundaries? You are entitled to say no to stressors and yes to your wellbeing!
I give myself permission to feel love, forgiveness, and happiness when I say no.
Your mental health is far more important than hosting a holiday party this year, unless you want to, then go for it! Your holidays don’t have to be Instagram-worthy or perfect. It’s a time to spend time at home with those who mean the most to you.
Expensive Gift Giving
This can be a tough one, especially if money is tight. Keep it small this year; your mental wellness and your wallet will thank you! DIY’s, baked, and crafted gifts are great ways to save money or even a secret Santa gift exchange!
Related Reading: Feeling Stressed About Money
Feel better health, more confidence, and improved relationships year-round with EPT™ Therapy. Appointments can be in person or via video/phone chat. Call Open Heart Holistic Therapy for a free 30-minute conversation!
Let Go of the Past & Be Present Over the Holidays
Ideally, the holidays are supposed to be about having fun and spending time with the people that you love. Before the holidays this year, make a list of things that you truly enjoy, and spend some time out of the holiday craziness to do them!
I give myself permission to have fun with my family.
I give myself permission to do what I want to do (without guilt) over the holidays.
I give myself permission to feel peace over the holidays with or without my family.
I like to write in a gratitude journal, which really helps me appreciate the things and people that I have in my life! You could try it too!
What is one way you are grateful for your stressful family? I’m grateful for the stress in my family, because it helps me to really work to understand. The stress keeps me on my toes. The stress helps me to look deeper at myself and others to understand where it’s all really coming from, and then address it compassionately head-on (in my own reflection, or directly with my family).
Remember to stay present this season and enjoy the moments you get to have especially with everything else going on this year.
How To Deal With Difficult Family Relationships Over the Holidays
We’ve all been there. As I mentioned, I hear it all. the. time. during EPT sessions. If you can’t avoid this person, make a plan before you see them and make your interaction with them as short as you can. A few tips for potentially tricky family relationships:
Limit your interactions. No need to engage in small talk, move on.
Have a buffer like a friend or significant other.
Make a list of “safe” conversations in your head to divert from the trigger conversations.
Arrive later or leave early.
I help with healing relationships and family issues. You can always talk to me before you see them to keep your sanity this holiday season.
Wellness Tips for the Holidays and Beyond
Your well-being and mental health is the most important thing, holiday or not. Here are some simple tips to get you through this holiday season!
Get enough rest and sleep.
Take time for yourself. Self-care is important!
Make a budget ahead of the holidays and stick to it!
Prioritize. You don’t have to go to every party or gathering.
Get out of the house. The fresh air can do wonders for your mental health!
Make new traditions. Your cherished family holiday traditions might look a little bit different this year, and that’s ok.
Focus on the positives. Focus on what you are grateful for and any small victories you had this year.
Treat yourself! It’s been a tough year. You deserve it.
The Gift of Healing this Season
Emotional Polarity Technique™ is a totally different approach to emotional healthcare. The best part about EPT is that the immediate result of the forgiveness you or a loved one experiences during our sessions together is profound, empowering relief. The result is permanent positive beliefs, a healthier life, and a better world!
Learn more about EPT by reading The Forgiveness Doctor by Dr. Annette Cargioli or listening to the EPT Podcast: Listen Love Give. Or simply sign up for a free 30-minute chat with me either virtually or at our holistic therapy office in South Tampa, FL.
Considering gifting therapy for the holidays?
I know, it can be a tricky thing to say “I bought you a therapy session.” But people are WORTHY of healing & living a life they love. With EPT™, people often choose to give it as a gift, because even just one session can offer relief!
Give the gift of forgiveness, love, and profound relief this holiday season with a session with me, Paige Cargioli. It’ll be the best gift you can give this year!