Even though holidays are often, in the popular media, portrayed as ‘the most wonderful time of the year’, they can be quite exhausting. Very often, we feel overwhelmed by family gatherings, financial expenses, or traveling. Holidays tend to be even harder for people dealing with mental health problems, such as addiction or depression.
Keeping sane and sober during this time of the year may be challenging for most people. The question is: how to stay on the track?
Source: Mental Health America
You may encounter two types of situations: meeting your family and/or your old friends.
On the one hand, your family may start asking questions about your sobriety or remind you about your past failures, which will make you uncomfortable. On the other side, hanging out with old friends may be triggering, and you may slip into old ways. It seems that the best solution is to develop some kind of strategy or plan for both situations.
For example, when it comes to your family, you may want to prepare answers for their questions and inform them for how long you have been sober. In that way, you will also remind yourself what you have achieved and, therefore, feel motivated to keep sober during the holidays. Also, you can always tell them that you do not feel comfortable discussing the topic and talking about your issues so openly. When it comes to your friends, if you feel like the gathering will bring you anxiety or feeling of discomfort, remember – it’s completely okay not to go. You are not obliged to meet with them just because it’s ‘that time of the year’. There is absolutely nothing wrong with moving away from situations that make you anxious and dissatisfied.
Source: The Scramble
Another thing we might feel during the holidays is loneliness. In this case, it is probably a good idea to come up with some kind of activity, which will take your mind off partying and drinking. Also, you can always check out what the Internet has to offer. For example, platforms like https://vigyaa.com/ may be an excellent solution for the times you want to be alone, but not lonely.
This platform gathers young authors and bloggers. Primarily, it is concerned with story-telling. Their main idea is, “Everyone has a story to tell and an experience to share!” In accordance with that, not only can you read other people’s stories, but you can also write your own. Whenever we feel overwhelmed, we can start turning those emotions into art. In that sense, you may find your passion for writing, and you’ll definitely find people who understand you. Your story may be about anything you want, since this platform offers numerous categories such as arts, education, technology, etc.
Source: Cengage Blog
To conclude, the only thing important to remember is that there is always away. Hence, don’t be afraid to explore other options – ‘being alone’ doesn’t necessarily equal ‘lonely’. Good luck!
