2-minute read — by BTES Staff
As the days get shorter and the fall colors fade into memory, preparations for the approaching holiday season begin to move forefront. For many people, the holidays are an enjoyable time of year. Yet there are always accompanying pressures and demands which invite us to put on a happy face and plow through the holiday frenzy.
For two months or more (six if you get the Hallmark Channel), it’s nearly impossible to avoid the bombardment of societal messages to embrace certain emotions and deny others. We’re expected to feel cheerful, thankful, generous, tolerant, grateful, and most of all, happy. We’re told to let it go, get along, have a nice time, get in the holiday spirit, and feel appreciative. After all, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” Any admission to the contrary is sure to draw criticisms, providing even stronger invitations to deny what may be actually occurring, lest you be dubbed a Scrooge.
Denying our emotional experience is greatly facilitated by certain behaviors which, by no coincidence, are central to the holiday season. Drinking, eating, and shopping pervade our rituals, all of which stimulate pleasant chemical responses within our body, while simultaneously inhibiting our ability to connect with our full emotional experience.
Because there are many strong emotions around holidays, they present an uncommon opportunity to raise your emotional awareness. Rather than simply hunkering-down and hoping to get through another holiday season relatively unscathed, consider engaging a therapist to help you utilize the opportunity, navigate the challenges, and learn greater emotional skill. Your inner peace, your body, your close relationships, and your bank account will all be glad to see you choose a more conscious course of action.
Keep ’em coming.
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