Happy Holidays
You may have found ways to ignore it so far but with Thanksgiving being TODAY, the holidays are undeniably upon us. What will this look like? What does it feel like to be “back”?
When I started receiving invitations to holiday parties and the flurry of planning began a few weeks ago I felt very excited. I thought about what I might wear including something that has barely crossed my mind in 20 months: shoes with heels. I started thinking about getting my Christmas cards mailed, hostess gifts and babysitters, the logistics of each holiday including our many extended family members, poinsettias (how to enjoy them and also not let the dog eat them), baking and decorating cookies (and enjoying them but also not eating too many, whether or not to inflict my gluten allergy on those involved or abstain altogether) , honoring our holiday traditions with my kids so that they grow up with beautiful, pine scented holiday memories, decorating my house (lights: where are they and do they still work), and how to be present with my clients and sensitive to their needs at this time. Like many others, I quickly found myself longing for simpler times without all of this pressure.
How do we incorporate all of the wisdom that we have garnered during the pandemic into the holiday season? Did we garner wisdom during the pandemic?? I would argue so. We learned that any plan can be cancelled if needed. It is ok to have simpler, slower days. We learned that every one of us can only handle so much screen time.
My suggestions for mental health and balance for the 2021 holiday season are as follows:
1) Be gentle with yourself. If the calendar looks too full, it is. If you can’t get to two different things on the same night, don’t. One is plenty and probably so much more than you would have done last year.
2) Mind your mental health. If you are prescribed antidepressants, take them. If you use a lamp for light therapy to combat Seasonal Affective Disorder, continue to do so daily. If you have a therapist keep your regular appointments. If you have been considering going to therapy and planning to wait until after the holiday, don’t. This is a time when a time when therapists often have openings due to client travel and holiday busyness. It may be an opportunity to get in with a therapist who typically has a long waitlist.
3) Don’t be afraid to try something new. We were forced to switch up our typical traditions and weren’t able to participate in many of them last year. If something doesn't work for you such as a gift exchange, a particular party, or family meal try something different. If you are tired and overwhelmed by cooking consider going out to eat. If the trek to visit family members far away feels like too much, stay home and do something local. Anything can be altered or cancelled and things do not have to be the exact same every year.