Hi friend,
An ongoing pandemic, skyrocketing cost of living and ongoing cultural and political upheaval all over the world have sent relationships that were previously “grin, grit your teeth and get through it” territory over into chaos and active conflict.
At the same time, we humans seek closeness and community. We want and need celebration and together time. But it can come with a cost….
This is the conflicting nature of the holidays for so many of us. A season that “should” be joyful becomes an obligation to appear joyful while staggering under a stack of expectations, emotional labor and extra duties.
For many who’ve experienced losses, trauma or tragedy around the holidays, an extra box of grief gets added to the pile.
That’s not to say that the holidays suck for everyone, or that they suck all the time for those with mixed feelings. I might enjoy a holiday karaoke night with friends (at least, pre-pandemic) and utterly dread going to a family gathering the next day (or vice versa).
You deserve to have a holiday season that’s happy, not a punishment for being you. For those of us who struggle at the holidays, here are 40+ of the best resources on how to set boundaries, take care of ourselves, and know when to draw the line.
This is a long one, so you'll want to head to the full post to see all the resources.
