It’s the holiday season which means your creepy uncle and overly judgemental grandmother are going to be around a lot more than you would already like. To top it off the holidays are just downright depressing before you even add in your extended family. As a person that has had increasingly more miserable holiday seasons every year (it’s truly amazing that they’re still going anywhere but up), I feel like I’m qualified enough to tell people how to scrape through the holidays even if only by the skin of their teeth.
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Accept that it just downright sucks. There’s no sense in getting your hopes up, so just work on getting it over with. Whether that means drinking until you’re convinced the aliens are coming to abduct you or just eating so much turkey that it just makes sense for you to fall into a long, meat sweat-filled coma.
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Chances are you have a friend or two that are also having a less than desirable holiday too. Set up a fun little support group via text so you can send all the bitter one-liners (with lasers – thanks, Apple) that you wish you could say to your Grandmother’s criticizing remarks to help carry you all the way from Turkey Day to Santa’s big entrance.
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If you’re struggling more with grief rather than bitter family members, make sure you’re taking time to recharge after festivities. Just because everyone is in a Christmas rush does not mean that you also need to be. Take some time to rest and remember the person(s) you’re missing.
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Bring back up. Whether your family sucks or you miss your favorite person this year, it’s nice to have someone there to fall back on. They can support you when you just want to fall apart from grief or their presence can act as a buffer in tense situations. Maybe you have a friend staying on campus this year rather than going home, invite them to Thanksgiving dinner – it’s a double whammy, they still get to celebrate and you have a support system on hand.
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Sometimes you just need to skip it. It probably isn’t the best option, but you need to put you first. That can mean skipping or, at the very least, cutting it short. I get it, the emotional recovery process takes longer than the actual holidays and it’s honestly not worth it.
Best of luck to you this holiday season, Collegiettes. They’re nice in theory, but once you’re there you would rather be anywhere other than home for the holidays. Take some deep breaths, have some wine, and push through. You’re not alone in the horrible holidays and if needed, you can schedule an appointment with Personal Counseling to talk about your impending stress of the holidays and maybe even come up with a plan on how to best deal with it.