What You Should Remember If Holiday Anxiety Is Sinking In
Merry Christmas everyone!
This is going to be sweet and simple.
For all of you feeling the anxiety sink in like I am, I want you to remember how many other holidays you conquered before this one.
Many of you may say how this year is different, which is true, but remember how you got through the holidays last year? Channel that same motivation to help you kick this holiday’s butt!
My most important tip is to not burn yourself out. If the people start flooding in, and hosting feels impossible, take a step back and breathe. Reach out to someone close to you and let them know you need a few minutes to catch your breath. Your happiness and health are number one every day no matter what. If you’re like me, you might tend to put others first all of the time, and I’m a huge culprit of doing that during the holidays. But sometimes I need to remind myself if I can’t breathe, I may need to step away and that’s perfectly acceptable. Don’t let your mind guilt you into feeling bad for looking out for yourself.
The holidays are incredibly hard for so many. I want to reach out to those who can’t or won’t be with their family this year. I’m currently unable to see my parents this Christmas, and although that’s upsetting, I understand and I hope that next year we can be together.
To anyone who feels alone, please reach out to someone who cares about you.
Lastly, I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season! May you receive gifts that put a smile on your face, and may you give gifts that do the same! Let’s remember we need to be thankful year round for the people in our lives, and we need to be thankful we are still here fighting for what’s right and spreading love and positivity to those that need it. And above all else, Christmas is about seeing the warmth in those around us, and reminding ourselves to not define anyone by their illness.
I hope everyone has an excellent holiday season. Below are my homemade Christmas cookies and dog treats that I worked all day for!
We want to hear your story. Become a Mighty contributor here.
Getty image via Thomas Northcu
Hi! My name is Chelsea, and I’m a girl hoping to end the stigma surrounding mental health. My end goal is to help provide the words for the feelings that many go through but don’t know how to verbalize themselves. I hope to one day make a difference in this complicated world.
spacedoutchels