Caring for Yourself This Holiday Season

As we move into December, we are now being surrounded by holiday music, lights, the push to buy gifts through ads popping up constantly on our social media and upcoming gatherings with friends and family. This is a time that brings mixed emotions for many of us. There can be excitement, joy and happiness with being part of traditions and fun activities that come with the holidays. For many, this time of year may bring stress, overwhelm, grief and loss as it may mean increased financial pressure, difficult or strained interactions with family members that are hard to get along with or bring memories of family and friends that have died and won’t be at holiday gatherings this year.

During this season, it’s necessary to care for our physical, emotional and spiritual health as we navigate the mixed emotions and experiences we will encounter. Some tips to help you care for yourself this holiday season are:

1. Set boundaries ahead of time:If you know you are going into a family, friend or work party where there may be conversations or questions that you don’t want to engage in, go in prepared with a response to set your boundary. This could sound like ‘Thanks for checking in on me. I don’t feel comfortable answering that. Let’s talk about x instead.”

2. Manage your expectations: Many people feel pressured to create an “ideal” holiday which may include spending money you don’t have, saying yes to activities and events you don’t want to go to and putting other people’s needs and wants before yours. Before going into any of these situations ask yourself realistically what is doable and not doable? This can help in setting boundaries and prioritizing your own self care as well as caring for others.

3. Prioritize Rest: As much as possible, make sure you are prioritizing sleep and regular eating routines. Being physically rested leads to greater capacity to manage challenging emotions.

4. Planned Grieving: For many who have family and friends that have died and are experiencing grief and loss, create time to honour those loved ones through rituals or traditions like spending time looking through photo albums, setting a place for that loved one at the table or making that person’s favourite meal. These are important ways to include your loved ones in this time and allow you to experience the emotions that help keep you connected to them.

5. Surround yourself with people that are life giving and love you: Stay close to family and friends that are encouraging, supportive and have your back no matter what.