How Can I Manage Trauma and Stress During the Holidays in 2020

What Is Trauma? 

It's no secret that for many, the holidays don't feel like they appear in the movies. Stress, financial pressure, and high expectations often accompany the holiday months. Likewise, feelings of grief and loss, loneliness, and depression are common. So, add these emotions to the year 2020, and everything you're feeling may feel intense. 

Trauma is an emotional response to an extremely negative event. You can experience the trauma either personally or as a witness. Furthermore, traumatic incidents can vary in severity. Children are highly susceptible to trauma.

Examples include: 

• chronic or terminal health conditions
• a sudden loss of a loved one
• natural disasters
• car accidents
• violent/neglectful environments
• violence within relationships
• discovering a partner's betrayal (infidelity, addiction) 

Symptoms of trauma can heighten with added stress. Therefore, the extra pressure you may experience with the holidays can amplify your symptoms. 

Symptoms of trauma include: 

• irritability
• anger
• sadness
• fatigue
• sleeplessness
• decrease or increase in appetite
• anxiety

How Can I Help Alleviate My Trauma Symptoms?

While there is not a quick fix to resolving trauma, there are some daily exercises you can do that may help you through times of added stress. Likewise, while these ideas may be helpful, remember, there is not a one-size-fits-all solution. However, this list may help you come up with an idea that will work for you. 

1. Self-care. It's the solution that you'll find to help with many mental and physical health issues. Self-care includes creating a good sleep routine, making healthy food choices, exercise, and personal hygiene. 
2. Know your limits. Often the holiday season includes many opportunities to gather with others. However, it's good to give yourself permission to make your mental health a priority.
3. Limit screen time, including social media. It's easy to get lost in comparing your current emotions with the posts that fill your news feed. After all, many avoid posting their lowest moments or troubling thoughts. Instead, people usually post their most fond moments. As a result, it can be deceiving to feel like your life is far from what others are experiencing. This may leave you feeling worse than before you started scrolling through your news feed. If you notice this is happening to you, it may be helpful to avoid social media. 
4. Practice mindfulness exercises. Whether you're experiencing a flashback or panic attack or have thoughts you can't seem to turn off; mindfulness may help you. Through practice, you can learn how to acknowledge your emotions as you stay in the moment. 

If you're living with betrayal trauma, you may find some useful ways to handle your trauma at AddoRecovery.com. 

What if My Trauma Is Beginning to Interfere With My Daily Way of Life? 

If your symptoms are interfering with your daily life, you may want to reach out for support. Whether through a professional or an online community, finding someone to talk to can be very beneficial. 

At Nova Counseling, we understand the complexities trauma can add to your holidays. We want you to be able to enjoy your holiday season as much as possible. Likewise, we'd love to see if we can help you. Call us today.