Today, I wanna talk about 3 core triggers to watch out for during the festive season and how to manage them with self love.
- Manic Energy: With all the shopping, planning, child school invites and all round pressure to always be filled with goodwill for the season, this can quickly lead to anxiety and stress. Use mindfulness to pause and listen to your body. What pressure are you giving yourself? Be kind to yourself and give yourself permission to take some stuff off your plate.
- Shame: Most of the marketing we see around this time of the year is all about the joy of having a white Christmas. Apart from all the snow, this also includes white Santa, white happy families, white money being spent on expensive gifts for happy white lovers, wives and children. Without realising, this invisibility can generate feelings of shame and unworthiness around not living up to white holiday ‘aspirations.’ Shame cannot live in silence so look for cultural events like Kwanzaa to celebrate and connect with local community.
- Isolation: If you struggle with challenging loved ones, this time of year can be stressful. There may be extra pressure to attend family gatherings which trigger depression and wanting to isolate. If you identify, it’s important to remember that we cannot change others but we can chose how we respond. It’s OK to put your well-being at the top of the list. Use safe spaces like a therapist, support group and/or mentor to share these challenges.
If you are struggling with any of the above and need additional support, you can schdeule a call with me at www.callme.juneallen.net