ARTICLES / Holiday / Stress
and the Holidays... /
Other ArticlesBy
Helen Hunter, ACSW, CMSW
Also, be sure to review your expectations and
be realistic. Not everyone is jolly, generous
and loving all through the holiday season. As
Wayne A. Van Kampen from the Bethesda PsycHealth
Reporter wrote, “ Somehow (during the holidays)
persons feel pushed into hiding, covering over,
or denying the reality of sadness, fear and
tension. Perhaps what is needed most is simply a
more honest embracing of ourselves, others, and
the realities of life.” Not everyone will have a
happy family gathering just because it is the
holiday season. Old resentments are likely to
resurface, no matter how hard we try, when
people are thrown together for an extended
period.
In addition, there are a number of strategies
that can be used in planning the holiday
celebration.
These strategies include the following:
Delegate responsibilities and activities so
that one person is not taking on more than can
be accomplished without help.
Do not assume responsibility for the entire
household’s holiday happiness.
Work minute by minute on your attitude.
Postpone becoming angry and show understanding
and calmness. This technique should be used not
only during the holiday period, but every day!
Any task that you have chosen to do, whether
it be the cooking, cleaning, gift wrapping, card
addressing, organizing, decorating or shopping,
is to be viewed as a choice that you made. Try
to have fun in tackling these tasks, which will
make the holiday easier and keep your spirits
positive.
Start traditions that make the most sense to
you in your life now. It doesn’t always have to
be done the same way every year.
Do things together as a family that you all
truly enjoy.
Make the holiday season a time for you and your
loved ones to have fun and to share special
memories. When the entire season is over, sit down,
relax and count your blessings. Remind yourself as
to how lucky you are. When you make an effort to
have a joyous, stress-free holiday, you can avoid
the stress. The key is to plan ahead, and to ask for
and accept help from others.
Helen Hunter, ACSW,CMSW, is an independent geriatric
social service consultant and trainer. She is also a
writer, and has had numerous articles published in
national magazines focusing on elder and family care
issues. Licensed in the states of Connecticut, New
York and Florida, she currently resides in Fort
Myers, Florida.
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