YOUR HOLIDAY SEASON EMOTIONAL TOOLBOX.
It’s almost like emotion and holidays go hand in hand. From tender, heartfelt holiday movies to reminiscence of lost family members or love ones, the holidays are an emotional ticking time bomb waiting to happen. The truth is, the landscape is fraught with emotional underpinnings. That is not your fault. However, how we navigate and cope with our emotions is our responsibility. Here are some tips to aid in our emotional health during the holidays:
Friends, friends, friends! The holidays are filled with families, but sometimes you just need your chosen family. Create spaces and/or time to chat with your homegirls and homeboys. Naturally this time is a reflective one for lots of people, and it can be nice to do this within community. In Los Angeles, there are tons of transplants and they are not always able to travel home for the holidays. I want to caution against the temptation to isolate and wallow in loneliness. I spent one Christmas holiday in Atlanta away from my family and it was… weird. I survived, clearly, but I wouldn’t suggest it. This is the time to be honest with your friends. You’d be surprised how many of them would open up their homes for fellowship and a chill time. I have brought friends with me to my grandparents home and aunt’s house!
Service. This one is a sleeper, but so helpful during the holidays! If you can, try to serve! With a quick google search, you can find opportunities to give back. If you’re plugged into a local church, there should be opportunities to give back. If they do NOT have any service things planned, lean into that and ask them some hard questions. Last year, my family (Noa included) helped with a gift giveaway. We prepared decorations, sorted and wrapped gifts. It was a great time and reminded us of all that we have to be thankful for! It’s a nice reminder that despite the news media cycle narrative, there are lots of loving, kind, generous people in the world.
THERAPY! It’s never the wrong time to start pursing professional help. There are trained, competent therapists who can help you find clarity in your life. So many of us have made a habit of spiraling during the winter months (annually…), and stuffing down our feelings for the rest of the year. It’s not sustainable. There are lots of approaches to therapy. There are group therapy opportunities (that could also be more affordable), one-on-one therapy sessions, telehealth and in-person.
