Holiday Stress & Trauma
Holiday’s Can Trigger Stress and Trauma
The holidays can be a stressful time for many. There are a couple of ways, in particular, I have seen this stress and trauma pop up in the holidays, in my own life, and in the lives of the people I serve. One thing that is so important to keep in mind is that our past informs our present. Our past experiences and what information we have gotten from those experiences play out in our present. This is no one's fault, and it's just how the brain works. This holiday season, I genuinely encourage you to find space for your healing, be kind to yourself and find grace in the chaos.
The Ideal Holiday
There is often an "ideal holiday" picture that may come up. You probably know the one I'm referring to. You see it in every holiday commercial and ad, and it is littered all over social media profiles this time of year. This picture shows everything perfectly laid out, a beautiful turkey dinner, lights on a tree, children happily opening a pile of presents, loved ones laughing, and what looks like enjoying each other's company. But this picture doesn't play out every second of every holiday season. And we have to remember that this is not real life. Now it's true, not everyone struggles with this. I recognize this. However, I also have to acknowledge that more people are struggling with this as the years go on. A study by NAMI was done looking at the impact of the holidays on mental health. One study found that over half of the people who responded reported feeling financially strained, stressed, lonely, overwhelmed with pressure, or unable to be with their loved ones. Granted, this was just one study, and the number of people who responded was roughly 750. The study certainly has its limitations, AND I think this still speaks to the fact that many people are struggling during the holiday season, which means that if you are struggling, you are certainly not alone. For more information on how the holidays can impact mental health, you can find the link to this article at the end of this posting.
Families, Stress and Trauma
And as hard as our families may try to do everything right, we all come from a place of what we know. Because of this, family events can trigger emotional and physical responses from past traumas. In all reality, no one has had a "perfect" upbringing, this is impossible since we're human, and we are not perfect as humans. As a therapist, I have seen time and time again. Our families may not mean to be harmful or hurtful; they react from a place they know, from what they learned from their upbringings and what their parents learned from their upbringings, and so on. It's only natural that memories from our past might be triggered during the holidays, and we have an emotional or physical reaction to what is brought up.
Lastly, missing family members or friends that have passed can feel even more pressing during the holidays. Especially with the last year or more of the added isolation and trauma of COVID, missing loved ones who are gone is only natural. If you are feeling the sting of trauma more around the holidays, that’s normal. And also really difficult. EMDR therapy can be helpful when learning new resources and processing trauma that goes beyond talk therapy.
Taking Care During the Holiday Season and Beyond
Because this time of year can be stressful and traumatic for the above reasons and even more, I can't encourage myself, loved ones, friends, family, clients, acquaintances, and even strangers enough- please take care of yourself. I understand this time is stressful and challenging in ways that sometimes are hard to put into words. Take time for yourself. I know this can feel like a foreign concept for many, and it's so important. Take time to journal, meditate, find a loved one to connect with, find a therapist you click with, go for a walk, dance, watch an enjoyable movie, find anything that gives you a sense of joy that helps you come back to your center. There's help out there, trauma doesn't go away overnight, but there is help. If you are looking for a therapist and are just unsure where to start, please contact me. I would be happy to help direct you to see if we could be a good fit or find someone who might be a good fit for you to connect to.
https://discoverymood.com/blog/raising-mental-health-awareness-holiday-season/
