Meaningful Holidays During COVID

 It’s December- many months into the pandemic and in the middle of the holiday season. For some, the season is not very merry. You may be feeling depressed, discouraged, and defeated. My hope is to provide some encouragement, inspiration, and helpful information to navigate the difficulty during this challenging time.  

Together, we can cope with and grow from our experiences during this very unusual holiday season. See these articles for recommendations, strategies, and helpful information.  Perhaps you will begin a new tradition that you love!

 

 

 

 How to Navigate Holidays During  Pandemic 2020:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/two-takes-depression/202011/how-navigate-holidays-during-pandemic-2020 

 

 Holidays During the Pandemic:

https://childmind.org/article/holiday-during-the-pandemic/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Holidays%20During%20the%20Pandemic&utm_campaign=Public-Ed-Newsletter 

 

How to Accept That Holiday Gatherings Are Canceled:

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_accept_that_holiday_gatherings_are_canceled?utm_source=Greater+Good+Science+Center&utm_campaign=8d7c520fbf-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_GG_Newsletter_December_8&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_5ae73e326e-8d7c520fbf-50850427 

Let's make the season meaningful!

Deep Breathing

 Deep breathing is an essential skill for relaxation and calming down anxiety.  While we are breathing all the time, we often take shallow breaths or hold our breath for brief periods of time.  Breathing this way can lead to higher anxiety.  We are living during a stressful time and many people are reporting increased levels of anxiety. Changing the way we breathe can make a big difference.  Take a look at this article with some ideas to help breathe better. 

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/is_the_way_you_breathe_making_you_anxious?utm_source=Greater+Good+Science+Center&utm_campaign=34a2024502-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_GG_Newsletter_November_10&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_5ae73e326e-34a2024502-50850427

Election Related Stress and Anxiety

 Many people have expressed an increase in anxiety and stress related to the upcoming election. 

 

This month, I am sharing some resources to help manage anxiety during this unique time. 

 

 

Fear: A powerful motivator in elections

https://www.apa.org/news/apa/2020/10/fear-motivator-elections 

 

 

Presidential Election Anxiety and the Role of Psychiatry

https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/presidential-election-anxiety-role-psychiatry 

 

2020 Presidential Election a Source of Significant Stress for More Americans than 2016 Presidential Race

https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2020/10/election-stress 

If you feel you need additional support, seek the help of a mental health professional.

Information Overload

  

With social media, TV, apps, e-mail, news articles, and mail, we can easily become overloaded with information. If left unchecked, we could have the news running all day in the background or fall into a rabbit hole of social media “doomscrolling.” For a more detailed look at this new phrase, read the Merriam Webster definition and origin. 

Headlines are designed to grab our attention and ignite an emotional reaction. They are written to try and convince us that we need to know more and read on or watch longer. When we keep engaging with the information, we may experience a reaction because we strongly agree or disagree.  We may feel a strong sense of needing to know. We may start applying what we read or see to our own life. Before we know it, we are scrolling and scrolling or watching and watching and time for more meaningful activities is passing by. 

Information overload can lead to increased anxiety and stress. Here are some strategies to help manage this: 

Limit Exposure 

Allow yourself a designated amount of time per day or week for consumption of current events.  

 

Access Trusted Resources 

Find a reputable resource for unbiased and accurate information. 

 

Find the Primary Source 

This one is difficult but helpful and important. As best you can, trace back reported information to the original source.  

 

Read Alternative Viewpoints 

Learn about different perspectives to help more fully understand a situation. 

 

Focus on Information Seeking Not on Reassurance Seeking 

There is a difference between learning new information to advance knowledge and compulsively seeking confirmation or disconfirmation for reassurance. 

Beginning School During Challenging Times

 As we are preparing for a new school year and are making decisions for our families, ourselves, and careers, we may feel anxious, stressed, or tired. This is to be expected given the unique stressors we are facing right now. Together, we can manage this. 

My hope for this school year is that we can: 

-practice resilience, patience, and kindness 

-be thoughtful, considerate, and informed 

-be reasonable, logical, and rational 

-appreciate hard-work, dedication, and energy 

-be flexible, fluid, and adjustable 

-make decisions that are the best for our individual needs and family circumstances 

-have fun, learn, and grow 

 

Whether it is in-person learning, remote instruction, online schooling, or homeschooling, we can be better and stronger together. Let’s show kindness to each other, ask questions, follow guidelines, offer help, accept help, and be reasonable with expectations and demands.  Have a great school year!