4 Tips for Relieving Emotional Hangovers After the Holidays
I hope you had great holidays!
For some the holidays can carry a lot of emotional stress. The expectations, the disappointments, the financial stresses, the guilt, the resentment, the family dynamics, and so much more.
Did you notice any recurring relationship issues, or anything that triggered memories of old holiday traumas? Do you constantly have all the “shoulds” and “have to’s” weighing on you every year? Do you have the financial stress of spending more than was in the budget?
What if you could work through the emotional baggage from the past interactions with family so that it no longer affects the present?
Here are some things you can take action on while these feelings are still fresh in your mind and prepare for next year and for the next family gathering.
Take some time for yourself. Compassionately explore what stresses you during the holidays. You can release the emotional attachments so you can choose a more peaceful experience for years to come, for you and your family. Holiday routines and traditions can be adjusted and changed to support everyone's well being.
Give yourself permission to say no. If you are uncomfortable with saying no, this may be a skill you will need to practice, and you may need to uncover the reasons why it is difficult for you to say no. There may be limiting beliefs that you will not be loved and accepted or maybe even rejected. You may feel you are disappointing others or worried that they will be upset with your choices. What if you came from a place of love and respect for yourself and choose your own happiness over others? What if you could do the things that you would love to do and not live in a place of “having to” out of guilt and then possibly hold resentment, later. Allow others to be responsible for their own happiness.
Set your own emotional boundaries. You can’t control the actions or words of others but what you can do is limit your exposure, take deep breaths, change the subject or simply walk away. And last but not least, choose who you would love to be with, and make healthy choices for yourself and your family. You always have those choices available to you and you are worthy of that boundary. If there were upsetting interactions in the years before, Emotional Wellness and Tapping are great tools for releasing the emotional attachments to these upsetting events, so that you can calmly and confidently have fun over the holidays, with your healthy boundaries.
Learn that true forgiveness is not acceptance of bad behaviour. Forgiveness gives YOU peace. You no longer need to carry the emotional burden of something someone else did or said. The stress that you carry from being hurt and angry is often only felt by you. By forgiving, you are not condoning hurtful behaviour, you are forgiving so that you can have inner peace. Please note that forgiving may also require healthy boundaries.
My Wish for you for the next holiday season, for the next year, really from now on is that you may be filled with Peace and Joy!
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