How to Cope with the Holidays

What is coping? What does your holiday anxiety and depression present itself?

Coping: ability to deal successfully with a difficult situation.
What: Holiday blues, depression, and anxiety
Why: Be aware to help you successfully enjoy your holiday.
​When: Prepare yourself and set boundaries before you go.
Where: if you're triggered you have the right to excuse yourself
How: Keep reading below :)

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 We all know most everyone has a special holiday that are around the corner. To collide with these upcoming holidays it takes some us to take control of our mental health--self-awareness. Some of us do not want to meet, greet, see, or participate in any of these festivities. Why you ask? So many of us have lost loved ones and we are in the midst of grieving and bereavement.  Some of us always feel a little blue (SAD) which could be Seasonal Affective Disorder. Now, many of us just can't cope with being around so many people, toxic friends, toxic family members--which can be a trigger for anxiety and depression. Triggered. YES, the holidays can be triggering for us, for YOU, US, AND THEM.

Some tips to help you cope this holiday season

1. Get prepared and acknowledge your feelings.
2. Set Personal Boundaries! So important that you set these before attending any events that may trigger you.
3. Grief during the holidays can also trigger us; so, acknowledge your feelings because they are valid. Connect with someone who you can talk to about this very sensitive topic/time in your life.  
4. Don't expect the worst.
5. Avoid toxic people if you can.

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Emotions. We all have them, they are vast, and they are real. According to Merriam Webster emotions are a conscious mental reaction (such as anger or fear) subjectively experienced as strong feeling usually directed toward a specific object and typically accompanied by physiological and behavioral changes in the body. With this being said... this most certainly hit the nail on the head. Holidays bring all types of emotions out of us; the good, the bad, and the unbearable for those us with mental illnesses (mood disorders, etc) these emotions can feel THIS BIG AND THIS LOUD, AND THIS FEARFUL, AND THIS TEARFUL. The great news is we have tools; breathing, journaling, talking with someone close, and use some of the tips provided above. 
My hope is that we can deal with our depression and anxiety surrounding the holidays in a healthy, happy way.