Honoring Yourself During The Holidays
“It’s the most wonderful time of the year”… or is it?
As we approach the end of the year, we find ourselves engaging in vacation, tradition, celebration, and community. Or maybe these winter months bring stress, sadness, burnout and anxiety. Perhaps we find ourselves acting in obligation rather than intention. In these moments, I challenge you to grow. Here’s how you can honor yourself during the holidays.
Losing Yourself
It’s really easy to forget your needs and focus on others during the holiday season. In this time of giving, it’s important to focus attention on others, but you shouldn’t have to lose yourself along the way. Are these holiday parties draining you? Take a step back and set some boundaries. Maybe you can find ways to recuperate between events, or maybe you just need to cancel something to make room for your own personal time.
Hold space for your thoughts, validate your feelings and prioritize your own safety while also taking risks.
Hiding From Discomfort
The science behind change tells us that we grow the most when we are uncomfortable. Lean in to that! The holidays for you may be stressful or negative. Maybe they bring up past faults or unsavory memories. Allow yourself to be uncomfortable, for every discomfort can lead to an opportunity for growth.
Falling Back On Unhealthy Coping Strategies
I’m always down for some Christmas cookies, spiked eggnog and gift giving, but each of these holiday traditions can be dangerous depending on your own triggers. When you’re stressed, sad or anxious, do you cope through numbing? Numbing can be different for everyone. Numbing can be overeating, binge-drinking, using harmful drugs, overspending, and more. When we fall back into these numbing spirals, it can be almost impossible to make it out of the other side.
Try thinking of some positive ways to cope with uncomfortable feelings before you even slip. You can recover and take care of yourself through many ways. Try taking a bath, meditation or journaling. If you crave a warm drink, choose tea or hot cocoa. Do your own brainstorming to find what works best for you!
The key to surviving the holidays is to be kind to yourself and to give yourself grace during the hectic season.
Change comes by living your truth, speaking up for yourself, connecting with a new perspective, discovering your intersectionality, honoring your past, and creating yourself. Remember to communicate your intentions, carry them out, and take deep breathes while you transform. Take action and honor yourself this holiday season.
The best gift you can give yourself is self growth.
