Coping with Anxiety and Depression During the Holidays – Part 1
Our culture associates the holidays with good times. We think of family, good food, and making memories with those we love. But for some people, the holidays are anything but joyous and festive. Anxiety and depression can make it difficult to enjoy the same experiences everyone else is enjoying. But there is hope.
Recognizing how anxiety and depression manifest themselves during the holiday season is the first step in overcoming. To that end, this is the first in a two-part blog post series designed to help you feel better – not just this year, but every year. This post will tackle anxiety; depression will be addressed in the next post.
What Holiday Anxiety Looks Like
Anxiety is a strange creature. We can work with a dozen clients in anxiety therapy in Miami, and discover that each one manifests anxiety in different ways. Differences between thoughts and emotions exist year-round. So during the holiday season, anxiety can look quite different from one person to the next.
Here are just a few ways anxiety manifests itself during the holidays:
Feeling unusually restless about holiday plans
Feeling afraid that everything isn't going to go just the way you wanted
Experiencing an impending sense of danger or doom
Worrying about making everyone else happy
Feeling weaker or tired than normal
Difficulty with sleep and gastrointestinal problems.
Holiday anxiety is really about being overwhelmed by everything. For someone who is struggling with those feelings, anxiety therapy can help. There are other things one can try as well.
Coping with Anxiety
Anxiety therapy is definitely something worth looking into. But there are some other things you can do, beginning with acknowledging how you are feeling instead of trying to keep it all bottled up inside. Hopefully you have a good friend or a family member to whom you can talk. You might also consider:
Keeping Things Simple – Try to keep things simple. Whether you are planning festive holiday parties or just trying to create an enjoyable experience for your family, don't go overboard. The simpler, the better.
Making Plans – Making plans ahead of time can help alleviate the stress that comes with last-minute decisions. Plan when you are going to shop. Plan a day to do your baking. Plan some time for rest, too.
Create a Budget – If financial worries are a source of stress for you, consider making a holiday budget. Write down how much you can afford to spend and what you want to spend it on. Then stick with it.
Continue Healthy Habits – Any healthy habits you have established should be continued during the holidays. If anything, sticking with your healthy habits can give you something positive to focus on.
Community Involvement – Finding some way to get involved in community events that you are not responsible for might help alleviate some of your anxiety.
Above all, coping with anxiety during the holidays requires taking some time for yourself. Don't be afraid to say no when you start feeling like too many demands are being placed on you. It is okay to say no. It is okay to step back and take a breather.
Remember that you will not be able to help spread holiday joy if anxiety is getting the best of you. If you know what triggers anxiety, avoid those things. Embrace what brings you happiness and joy so that you can help spread it to others.
Finally, we want to encourage you to take advantage of anxiety therapy. Just spending some time with a trained therapist can really make a difference in helping you feel better.
