The holiday season is quickly approaching. This time of year serves as a special time to come together with loved ones, carry out traditions, host lavish dinners and overall enjoy your time with friends and family. Even with all of the excitement that comes with the holiday season, this time of year can be especially hard if someone’s missing from the celebrations. Whether or not you’ve recently suffered a loss, the holidays can be an especially difficult time. Part of what makes the holiday season challenging for those suffering from grief is that the whole season emphasizes the importance of gathering with friends, family and loved ones. This can make dealing with a loss especially painful during this time of year.
While navigating the cheeriness around every corner this time of year when you’re missing someone or dealing with feelings of guilt and loss can be challenging, there are things you can do to help yourself cope. You’re not alone if the holidays bring up hard emotions and feelings about losing a loved one, but with the right coping mechanisms you can make this season easier on yourself. Continue reading for some tips on how to deal with grief during the holiday season.
Set Realistic Expectations for Yourself
If this is your first holiday season without your loved one then the chaos, responsibilities and social commitments that come with the holidays can be very intimidating. It’s important to remember though, that this holiday season is not like the others and there’s nothing wrong with not feeling up for all that you usually do. You may not feel like going all out with the decorations, gifts, cooking and shopping like you normally do and that’s okay! Don’t be afraid to accept help with things and don’t feel pressure to do things the way you usually do. For example, maybe this year you get all of your shopping done online if you don’t feel like being around a ton of people in stores. Or maybe, you order your holiday dinners instead of cooking everything from scratch. It’s important to be realistic with yourself about what you’re up for this holiday season and not to be hard on yourself if this year’s holidays don’t look like last year’s.
Don’t Isolate Yourself
While you should set realistic expectations for yourself and allow yourself to say ‘no’ to things you don’t have the energy for, you should avoid isolating yourself as well. It’s very common for the holidays to bring up feelings of grief, whether this is your first holiday without someone or not, but try to avoid “canceling” the holidays altogether. It’s important to set realistic boundaries and expectations with friends and family, but it’s also important to surround yourself with loved ones. Balance these things by doing what feels right for you. That may mean going to only one Christmas party this year or having someone else host Thanksgiving. Setting boundaries will allow you to still enjoy the holidays without putting too much on your plate.
Practice Self Care
Practicing self care is very important when dealing with grief, especially during the hectic holiday season. This time of year can be stressful for anyone, but the addition of grief can make the holidays especially overwhelming. It’s also easy to be so focused on giving to everyone else this time of year that you forget to take care of yourself. Try to remember to make time for yourself this season and prioritize your mental well-being. Maybe this means going on regular walks to get some fresh air, treating yourself to a manicure or journaling for a few minutes every day. Even simple acts of self-care will add up and have a beneficial impact on your well-being overtime.
Tune Into Your Emotions
The holidays can be a confusing time for those experiencing grief, so tuning into all of the emotions you’re experiencing is important. There’s no right or wrong way to grieve, and grief may look different on everyone. Allow yourself to feel all of your emotions this holiday season. That might mean feeling sadness and anger at times, but it also might mean allowing yourself to laugh and embrace joy at other times. Just because you experience moments of joy and happiness doesn’t mean that you’ve forgotten your loved one or that you don’t miss them anymore. Tuning into all of the emotions you feel and understanding that your emotions may change from moment to moment will help you navigate this process more easily.
Create New Traditions
Sometimes old traditions can be a source of sadness when that person is no longer here to carry them out. For some, sticking to old traditions can be a source of comfort, but for others, they can be a source of sadness. If some traditions seem too painful to carry out, then creating a new tradition can help you enjoy the holidays. For example, if your father always carved the turkey, then maybe a new tradition is that everyone takes turns carving it. Another tradition that may be helpful to start could be visiting your loved one’s monument. Planning some time every holiday season to visit your loved one’s resting place can give you a way to feel connected with them during this time of year. You may want to carry this tradition out on your own or make it a group event by including other family members.
Volunteer
Doing things for others not only helps them, but it also helps us. The holidays are a great time of year to give back to a cause or another person and in doing so, you’ll also feel better. You may choose to donate or volunteer for a cause that meant something to your loved one that passed away as a way to honor their memory during this time of year.
Although the holiday season can sometimes be hard to get through when you’re struggling with grief, it can be helpful to remember these tips for coping. Visiting a loved one’s monument, setting boundaries and accepting help from loved ones can help ease your grief during this time. If you’re interested in creating a special monument for a loved one that will give you a place to visit every holiday season, then let Gaulden Monuments help you bring your vision to life.
© 2024 Gaulden Monuments, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Written for Gaulden Monuments by Minieri & Company LLC.
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