It doesn’t matter how much you love the holidays, they can still be stressful. When you have anxiety, it can feel like an intense time of year to navigate all of your feelings. You can have good relationships with family and friends but still, feel anxious when thinking about showing up to an ugly sweater party or the annual family Christmas gathering. It might not just be people that make you anxious but it can be all of the expectations and to-do lists that are expected of you. Maybe you struggle with perfectionistic tendencies and want things to go just as you envisioned them, and all of that can cause anxiety. It can be challenging to try and enjoy yourself when you’re feeling stressed, worried, and anxious. You might just be trying to survive the holidays.
How do I deal with anxiousness during the holidays?
Many people deal with high-functioning anxiety and don’t realize it. You may have symptoms of anxiety without recognizing it because you chalk it up to stress or you’ve always felt that way. You might have a picture in your head of what anxiety is, and you know you don’t have that. That doesn’t mean your experience is any less valid or that your feelings aren’t something to focus on. It’s not my intent to make you feel like you need an anxiety diagnosis because believe it or not I don’t always think diagnoses are always that helpful. What is important is that you acknowledge and connect with your feelings. Followed up with you to find ways to take care of yourself and cope effectively.
Ways to deal with anxiety during the holidays
I hope it goes without saying that this list isn’t meant to be the only list of coping skills you should use when managing anxiety. These are just a few examples of suggestions to prepare for the holidays when you struggle with feeling anxious.
Cope ahead
This is one of the best coping skills when it comes to potential possible holiday anxiety. Coping ahead means that you make a plan in advance to utilize coping skills. What’s the situation that might trigger your anxiety to increase? Decide what is the best way of dealing with this situation is. Consider finding ways to lower your stress and anxiety before you are put in that situation by utilizing self-care strategies. If you know you have to go to Christmas dinner with your in-laws with whom you have a strained relationship, make sure you have a plan before and after to deal with your stress.
Give yourself space
The holidays are stressful when you have Christmas shopping to do, parties to host and attend, Santa Claus to assist, etc. Trying to cram it all in at once can make things even more stressful. Take your time. Don’t do it all at once. Spread things out in your schedule so that you can make sure you take time to take care of yourself. You need time to decompress, lie on the couch by the fire, and enjoy the holiday season. The goal of the holiday doesn’t have to be to cram in as much. Sometimes the holidays need to be about giving less.
Practice self-compassion
What you don’t need right now is to judge yourself or use self-criticism for why you feel anxious. You might believe that helps motivate you to keep it together but it does the exact opposite. You will feel less motivated and likely to adhere to your goals long-term when you’re mean to yourself. Practice being kind and having self-compassion. People get confused that self-compassion is enabling them to do things outside of their values. What it really is is being gentle with yourself WHILE you do the things that are important to you. It means being patient and kind to yourself for being a human. What better time than the holidays to start practicing being kind to yourself?
Prioritize sleep and rest
Don’t laugh at this one thinking that it’s impossible. If you don’t sleep well in general it’s hard to imagine sleeping well during the holidays. Hear me out though! This is the most important time to get enough rest and sleep. If your anxiety is higher than usual then it’s going to take more energy from you. You need the energy to be able to show up for the people you love and care about. You need energy for yourself to keep your mental health intact. If you have trouble sleeping, prioritize relaxing and resting. You can only focus on what’s in your power and control.
Expect that you will feel anxious
It’s important to go into the holiday season with realistic expectations. It’s not realistic to think that you won’t have any anxiety around a stressful time of year. It’s possible that you won’t feel any anxiety but maybe not likely. When you feel anxious about the holidays, don’t be alarmed or critical of yourself. Ride the wave of anxiety and recognize that it will pass but nothing is wrong with you because you’re struggling.
Working with an anxiety therapist can help
One of the most common times for clients to reach out for therapy is after the holidays. Many people feel like you do. The good news is that anxiety therapy can help you manage your anxiety better regardless of the time of year. Some of us are more prone to anxiety than others but anxiety can also be symptomatic of something else. If you deal with anxiety, it’s possible there’s something in your history that might be worth dealing with. As an anxiety therapist, I want to be able to help you cope with anxiety better but also lower your overall anxiety in general. Maybe the goal for next year is to work on yourself and become a more balanced version of yourself.
Start anxiety therapy in Utah
You don’t have to feel overwhelmed with anxiety. Feeling anxious doesn’t have to cause distress. Anxiety therapy can help. This Utah Counseling Clinic has an anxiety therapist specializing in anxiety therapy that can help. To begin counseling follow the steps below:
Meet with a therapist for anxiety
Find relief from your anxiety symptoms
Online Anxiety Therapy in Utah
It can be hard to make your schedule fit another appointment. Some people feel far too anxious to try and find an office space to meet. This is why I offer online therapy in Utah. Online counseling is just as effective as in-person therapy but much more convenient.
Online therapy means I can work with you wherever you’re located in Utah. I work with clients in Salt Lake City, St. George, Cedar City, Logan, Provo, Heber City, and more.
Other mental health services provided by Maple Canyon Therapy
Anxiety therapy isn’t the only mental health service provided by this Utah Counseling Practice. Other mental health services provided by Maple Canyon Therapy include binge eating disorder treatment, eating disorder therapy, counseling for college students, birth trauma therapy, and body image therapy. Schedule a phone consultation to see how I can help.
About the Author
Ashlee Hunt is a licensed clinical social worker and founder at Maple Canyon Therapy in Utah. She has a bachelor's in psychology and a bachelor's in family life and human development from Southern Utah University. She obtained her Master's in Social Work from Utah State University. Ashlee loves working with women and helping them find relief from their symptoms of anxiety. She sees many women struggling with feeling anxious but being determined to keep it all together. Ashlee uses an acceptance and commitment therapy approach to help her clients find relief and distance themselves from negative thoughts. When Ashlee isn’t doing therapy, she enjoys spending time outdoors experiencing all parts of Utah but especially enjoys the warmer weather at Zion National Park in Southern Utah.