Getting Your Child and Yourself Through Holiday Blues

Getting Your Child and Yourself Through Holiday Blues

The holidays aren’t always the magical time of year they’re made out to be. Whether it’s an impactful personal loss or the stress of the season’s pressures, sometimes the holidays can be a time of highly stressful emotions for parents and their children. While it’s unrealistic to expect these emotions to just “go away”, it doesn’t have to be something you go through alone, and it can help to have a roadmap to make the grief or stressors more bearable.

Don’t pressure yourself to feel differently. Sometimes the best thing you can do to get through a time of stress or grief is to know it’s okay to not be okay. At times the best you can do is to acknowledge the time for what it is and not expect it to change overnight, and not expect it to disappear if you adopt a given mindset. Sometimes life is hard, and it’s okay to let yourself feel those emotions.

Practice meditation and visualization. While it’s okay to feel strong negative emotions, it’s also okay to need a mental break. To give yourself space to simply be and to take a break from thinking or feelingnegative emotion, consider pulling up a guided meditation or visualization on a video sharing platform and taking a moment to occupy the mental space it provides.

Prioritize taking care of the basics. When life is hard, it’s important to prioritize getting the nutrients you need by eating well and eating enough. It’s equally important to make sure to get adequate sleep. Good sleep hygiene is an excellent way to do so—if you’re unfamiliar, search “sleep hygiene tips” in your browser.

Talk about your feelings. Sometimes speaking about your emotions with a friend can do wonders to help you feel better. There’s nothing wrong in seeking professional talk therapy, provided you have the time and ability—this can be the biggest step forwards. 

Practice inhabiting the present moment. The biggest helpful factor in meditation and related techniques is often its teaching you to inhabit the present moment. When the past is too difficult, or thinking about the holidays is distressing, focus on unrelated sights, sounds, and sensations to both get through the more difficult moments and to find moments of peace.

The holidays can be a great reminder that life and love go on even in the face of great loss. Remember to honor your feelings and focus on what truly makes you happy. By taking small steps to fill your life and season with moments of freedom and joy, you can have a season of hope and healing even when times are hard. Prioritize your needs, seek and lean on supports, and be kind to yourself. Every step forward is a great one.