Are you feeling anxious? Do the holidays bring extra stressors to deal with? Are holidays hard for you? We all deal with things during the holidays that we wish we did not have to deal with. How do you cope?
Anxiety and depression can increase during the holidays and special occasions.
There are tons of stressors, especially around the holiday season. From worrying about going out to get gifts, to worrying about getting sick, missing a loved one, not being able to be around family and friends. These are all things that can give us anxiety and cause one to slump into a depression. Very scary stuff.
What are ways you can cope with stress, anxiety, and depression during this time?
My first tip is do not be hard on yourself. Life gets crazy and that is o.k. we live in a world of chaos all around us. It sometimes feels as if we are riding a mar-ago-round and it never stops turning. It is ok to be sad, to break down and cry, we are human, its ok to express our feelings and feel those emotions that seem to overwhelm us. So, go easy on yourself.
Second tip is to take time for yourself and breath. Slow down and enjoy some me time. When things for me are getting overwhelming, I take a minute for myself to focus on my breathing and slow myself down through breathing exercises, meditation, doing something that calms me down such as listening to music, spending time with your pets. These are just a few ideas. This time of year, for me can be very frustrating, overwhelming, crazy, I am sure it is no different for anyone else.
Focusing on one thing at a time can lessen anxiety
Tip three is prioritize. I have always found it easy to plan and give myself a game plan so to speak by doing this one can create a plan so, they can prioritize the most important task to the least. I am a visual learner so if I got a plan and can see all that needs to get done it helps to break tasks up that way things do not get so overwhelming. I purposely do all my harder tasks first then go to the easier ones. Give it a try and see if it lessens your anxiety.
Tip four reward yourself. Do something nice for yourself for the accomplishments you made. If you did not get everything done in one day that is ok, there is always tomorrow. Be proud of what you accomplished today. It could be making yourself a cup of coffee, reading a good book, calling a family member or friend, it might be to go out and have a nice meal. Rewards are different for everyone.
It is difficult to cope with stress and depression along with anxiety that the holidays cause us. It can be sad, painful, especially if you are missing a loved one. Depression can cause us to isolate ourselves, which, professionals say is not good for a person. The tasks in getting prepared for the holidays can cause us to feel overwhelmed and anxious. Recognizing the signs and staying in tune so to speak, with your body can help us to not fall into the trap so to speak. However, do not feel afraid to let those feelings out and let them show, its ok to grieve, cry, take time to clear your head and be in the moment. That is healthy for a person, but to stay there for to long is unhealthy.
There are ways we can cope
There are lots of ways one can cope with the chaos around them. Do you have coping techniques that help you? If so, do not be afraid to use those techniques or tools. Anything that helps to get through the stress of the holidays the stressful times in the world can be helpful. To find what works for you is what matters. I gave you tips of ideas that work for me, feel free to try them and if they work for you great use them. Happy reading! Merry Christmas & happy new year!
Living w/ cerebral palsy 