Happy holidays, readers!
This is my deluxe holiday post.
The December holidays are an extremely difficult time of year for a variety of people for many reasons. I asked the participants of a group therapy session, “What is the most stressful part of the holiday season?” For privacy reasons, I do not share their names, but these are their responses:
Loneliness
Missing family, family far away
Memories of loss, death, and trauma
Worrying about the finances with the gifts
Planning and budgeting
Overwhelming feelings
Cooking and expectations of good meals
Family conflicts
Seasonal Affective Disorder
Lose sight of the religious aspects of the holidays.
Commercialism
Weight gain
Remember, not everyone is going to have the “fairy tale” holiday season. Make it your version of ideal, and be flexible in your definition of a good holiday.
Feel free to seek professional help or therapy to make this time of year easier and more festive, if you feel you need it.
Please take a moment and comment to let me know you were here and what you thought of my blog.
