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 So how can we avoid being overwhelmed during the
holiday rush?
Managing
Holiday Blues
Sometimes those overwhelming feelings we experience during this time
of year can turn for the worst really fast. Holidays can cause a lot
of anxiety or depression in some people due to the sheer volume of
energy required. In this short video, Jayme Hodges, a Director of
Behavioral Health, explains why holidays “are difficult for a lot of
people.”
Hodges says emotional problems at the holiday season are actually
quite common. “Maybe you have financial struggles, you can’t buy all
the gifts you could last year, so it’s an adjustment,” says Hodges.
There are a lot of potential reasons for such feelings, but it can
be helpful to know that you are not alone in those feelings, and to
reach out to others, especially if you suspect they are feeling the
same. “Acknowledge how you feel. That’s the important thing. A lot
of people try to hide the way they feel,” says Hodges.
It can also help to figure out exactly where the overwhelming
feelings stem from. It is often the case that such feelings come not
from the holiday itself, but from a deeper problem in our personal
lives.
For example, some people feel down this time of year because of
loved ones they have lost during the year. But we should take that
energy and turn it around in a new direction. Just because a loved
one is gone, that doesn’t mean the holiday season is useless without
them.
“If someone, for instance, is feeling upset during the holidays
because they’ve lost a loved one, it’s ok to be upset. But maybe
look for ways to find new meaning in that holiday,” says Hodges.
Hodges says that healthy boundaries and limitations help to prevent
feeling overwhelmed. “Recognize that you can’t do everything all at
one time,” says Hodges. It’s helpful to take the season one day at a
time, even if those days have so many stops in and of themselves.
Sometimes people try to cope with these feelings on their own.
Certain coping mechanisms, like alcohol or social isolation are
unfortunately common, but they should also be avoided.
“Try not to isolate from other people. We are social creatures, so
being around others often times helps us,” says Hodges. We don’t
help anyone, least of all ourselves, if we try to treat holiday
blues with literal depressants.
These sorts of coping mechanisms are typically seen in adults during
this time of year. But what about the children in our lives?
Tips to help
your kids avoid getting overwhelmed during the holidays
We may think sometimes that children are the most excited by the
holiday season. Yet children are easily overwhelmed by holidays,
even if they do not know how to express what they are feeling. The
sheer amount of activity at a holiday party can be a bit much for a
child, even if they seem to have the energy for it.
This video features Dr. Sharon Saline, a psychologist who works with
children. Saline offers her own advice for avoiding overload during
the holidays. These tips aren’t just for kids, but for anyone
needing help with those overwhelming feelings.
Saline starts by saying it helps to be organized around the
holidays. “The only way to get organized is to make a list,” says
Saline.
Saline says a list is made up of things you can actually accomplish,
and offer a timeline of when tasks can be accomplished. Furthermore,
this practice is good for kids, as it teaches them how to organize
at a young age.
“The companion to writing a list is checking off the list,” says
Saline. Saline adds that checking items off a list brings a sense of
accomplishment. That sense of accomplishment can help to counter any
negative feelings.
Another suggestion Saline has for parents is to create a schedule of
the holiday season, and to make that schedule visual. “It really
helps kids with transitions when they can see what is coming up,”
says Saline. “It calms them down and helps them prepare.”
However, Saline also suggests a bit of caution when
making a schedule. Schedules need to be at least a little flexible,
and we need to understand that we might not achieve everything we
set out to do for the holidays, and that isn’t a bad thing, just as
Hodges suggested. “Really take a look at it
and realize okay - I can’t do twelve things today,” says Saline.
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Saline also says it is important to build recovery
time into a schedule at this time of year. “Kids need to come home
and chill out. And you [parents], actually, need to come home and
chill out.” Saline says we need to relax during a holiday, and do
something calming, like lighting a fire or making tea.
We don’t need to spend every minute of every day during the end of
the year on the move. Sometimes having quiet moments can be a
blessing for our minds and bodies. Sometimes adults need these
moments just as much as their kids, and it brings everyone closer
together if we share in a minute of peace.
“Talking about what you just did, or doing a quiet activity…let your
system slow down,” says Saline. Slowing down for a moment can help
us recover before we have to go to another holiday party or event.
Kids and families are not the only ones who can become overwhelmed
at this time of year. Those of who work during the season can suffer
from the same problems.
How to Not Get
Overwhelmed During the Holidays as an Entrepreneur
In this video, Elizabeth Jennings offers a few tips on avoiding
overwhelming anxieties during the holiday rush. Jennings is a
businesswoman in the beauty industry; an industry that often asks
for people to work during the holidays.
“The holidays can offer beautiful thoughts and feelings, but not
when things feel so crazy,” says Jennings.
Jennings starts by echoing the suggestion of making a list. In this
case, Jennings suggests making a list for each holiday. “I would
suggest making a list about three weeks prior to each holiday,” says
Jennings.
Jennings adds that these lists should be separated by personal and
business needs. One thing that is important for entrepreneurs is
that each list should include important purchases that need to be
made, whether they be gifts or otherwise. “Making lists will help
you feel that things are more coordinated,” says Jennings.
Jennings repeats the idea that setting boundaries is very important
at the holidays, especially when it comes to spending money, a
frequent source of overwhelming feelings during this time of year.
Additionally, we should set boundaries to figure out which parties
or events we feel we need to attend. “This will help you not feel
obligated to spend money that you don’t want to spend, [or] don’t
have to spend; or not to be in places you don’t want to be in just
because it’s the holidays,” says Jennings.
Finally, Jennings adds that we need to make sure we spend time “in
the now.” Sometimes we spend so much time and energy focusing on
what is coming up, that we forget to take time to remember what we
have to be thankful for.
“If you focus on what it is really all about…Thanksgiving is about
being thankful for what you have, and what you have made it through,
and what is to come for you, and being thankful for your friends and
family,” says Jennings. Jennings adds that Christmas is a time for
celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ with your family and friends,
and New Year’s is a chance to be thankful for one year, and to plan
ahead to the next.
We should take that time to actually reflect on those moments, and
not worry so much about the next party or family gathering. It is
important to live in one moment at a time, regardless of whether or
not we have to work during the season. This is especially true
during the holiday season. This should be a time of peace to end an
otherwise overwhelming year, so it’s important to understand just
how to accomplish such a difficult task.
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