{"id":378,"date":"2023-11-29T08:29:03","date_gmt":"2023-11-29T08:29:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/paserocounselling.co.za\/?p=378"},"modified":"2023-11-29T08:29:03","modified_gmt":"2023-11-29T08:29:03","slug":"how-to-navigate-the-festive-season-smoothly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paserocounselling.co.za\/?p=378","title":{"rendered":"How to navigate the festive season smoothly"},"content":{"rendered":"

While the festive season is often associated with joy,\ncelebration, and togetherness, some people may dread or feel uneasy about this\ntime of the year for various reasons like traveling, grief, darker days, and\ndealing with difficult family at holiday events.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

You are not alone if you find yourself\ndreading the holiday season.  <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

Below are seven tactics to help navigate\nthe holiday season smoothly:<\/span><\/o:p><\/p>

 <\/span><\/p>

Loneliness<\/span><\/b> Hits hard: if\nyou do not have, your friends or family around, the festive season can be a\nstark reminder of your solo status. Everyone’s huddling up, and you are left\nfeeling a bit like a lone wolf.  Plan\nahead of time, schedule your holiday with activities  You can even consider volunteering at a charity\nof your choice or attend church gatherings.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

 <\/span><\/p>

Awkward Family Drama<\/span><\/b>:\nNot all families are rocking around the Christmas tree together. If your\nrelatives bring more tension than joy, the idea of festive family gatherings\nmight make you break out in a cold sweat. Decide on healthy boundaries and if you find yourself struggling during a particularly tense\nmoment, stay patient by focusing on your breathing.<\/span> Remind yourself that this too\nshall pass, and that \u2014 eventually \u2014 you or your family will be headed back home.<\/span><\/span><\/o:p><\/p>

 <\/span><\/p>

Heartache Hangs Around<\/span><\/b>:\nFor those who have lost someone dear, the festive season can feel like a giant\nneon sign pointing out the empty space where they used to be. Celebrations can\nbe a bittersweet dance with memories.
\nTry to be mindful that this is not the time to\npursue good feelings. It\u2019s the time to survive, so later on you can find\nyourself in one piece.\u201d<\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/o:p><\/p>

 <\/span><\/p>

Workload Woes<\/span><\/b>: While everyone\nis thinking about holiday getaways, some of us are juggling deadlines and\ndealing with a workload that is piling up faster than snow in a blizzard. It’s\nnot exactly a winter wonderland.
\nExplain to friends and family your situation and prepare them to have realistic\nexpectations of what your capacity will look like.  This way nobody gets disappointed.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

 <\/span><\/p>

Social Anxiety Sneaks In<\/span><\/b>:\nParties and gatherings might be your personal nightmare if social anxiety is\nyour sidekick. The pressure to be social and shine in a crowd can turn the\nfestive season into one big anxiety ball.
\nIt is wise to have an exit plan ready. \nYou can excuse yourself from difficult conversations and if you\nanticipate difficult family gatherings, contact a counsellor to help you get\nyourself in the right frame of mind before the big days arrive.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

 <\/span><\/p>

Perfectionist Pressure<\/span><\/b>:\nPicture this: the perfect decorations, the Instagram-worthy meals, and the\nflawless festivities. Sounds stressful? For some, the expectation to create the\nperfect holiday experience can be overwhelming. \nIn addition, if you are struggling with addiction or in recovery, you\nmight feel that you are falling short, or may feel overwhelmed, particularly when there are copious amounts of adult beverages\ninvolved.  Stick to your recovery\nprinciples and know season too shall pass.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

 <\/span><\/p>

Over\ncommitment Overload:<\/span><\/b> The FOMO is real\nduring the festive season, and the fear of missing any event can lead to saying\n“yes” to everything. Soon, it is more of an “I need a\nbreak” than a “ho, ho, ho” situation.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

You get to decide what works best in your\nlife this holiday. Protect your peace. Don\u2019t feel that you have to say yes to\neveryone.  You may\nhave to realise that it is OK to say no and learn to set boundaries.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

 <\/span><\/p>

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/span><\/p>

Remember, these vibes are not universal,\nand everyone’s festive experience is unique. Therefore, if you see someone\nfeeling a bit Grinchy, a sprinkle of understanding and a dash of empathy can go\na long way in making the season brighter for him or her.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n


<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

7 Tactics to help you navigate the festive season smoothly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":379,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-378","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paserocounselling.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/378","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paserocounselling.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paserocounselling.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paserocounselling.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paserocounselling.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=378"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/paserocounselling.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/378\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":384,"href":"https:\/\/paserocounselling.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/378\/revisions\/384"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paserocounselling.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/379"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paserocounselling.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=378"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paserocounselling.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=378"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paserocounselling.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=378"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}