As we make our way through this holiday season, many people will encounter feelings of depression. While you look at others who are seemingly happy, it’s important to take care of yourself and realize that the joyful images of the holidays can be dimmed by loss, loneliness and isolation. Getting together with family can also bring back difficult memories of our upbringing. When we visit with our families, we can quickly and without realizing fall back into old behavioral patterns from when we were kids. These patterns often are dysfunctional and lead us to become anxious and depressed. …
Holidays and stress
With the holiday season upon us, anxiety levels can rise quickly. Whether it’s social events, shopping or the seemingly endless other to do’s, we can easily become stressed. There are some quick and effective things we can do to bring us back to a calm sense of being. A grounding technique may be helpful by bringing yourself into contact with the present moment - the here and now. There are quick strategies like taking three deep breaths or longer exercises like meditation. Different strategies work for different people; we just need to find the one that works for us. There is no wrong way; …
