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Providing Space for Yourself Through the Holidays What does it mean to provide space for yourself? It’s really about boundaries. The holidays are full of all kinds of different experiences and interactions with various people. We have some serious history with some of these people (our family members). Other times,
Spending a Holiday Alone The holidays are portrayed as a time for family, joy, fun, and celebration. However, not everyone can spend time with their families for various reasons. Some can’t financially afford the trek it might take to visit them. Others are isolated from their families for various reasons.
6 Boundaries and Grounding Tools to Get Through the Holidays The holidays can be a wonderful time of fun, connection, and joy. However, they also can be triggering as well. As Christmas approaches, our struggles can feel increasingly overwhelming. Out of nowhere, we can be thrown into triggering relationships and
Self-Care During the Holidays The holiday season can come with a lot of stress. Perfectionism and anxiety can take over, while trying to make the perfect meal, find the perfect gifts, and create the most perfect memories. Call it socialized pressure from long-term expectations that we have always just known
Holidays and Knowing Your Place in Recovery and In Your Family For those who are in recovery, the holidays can be a complicated time. There have often been discoveries and disclosure, which can dramatically shift the dynamics of your relationships. This can be true of marriages and romantic relationships, but
Holidays are a stressful time for all of us. We have to leave our normal routines, buy gifts for people, and spend time with people that we have a long history with. It’s true that holidays can be a great time to catch up and share in experiences with those
There are many firsts in recovery. There is the first sporting event without alcohol. There is the first date without alcohol. There is the first holiday season without using. Facing a social situations without the comfort of liquid courage and the usual coping mechanisms can evoke anxiety. Preparing for those
At this time of year, commercials, advertisements, and social network feeds are filled with images of happy families, friends, and celebrations for the holiday season. This can be a very difficult time of the year for the recovering person when their reality does not align with the picture of a
Comparing ourselves to others is something that most of us do. For many of us, it’s something that we are taught from a very young age. We are taught that we could, and should be the best, and what this could mean for us if this would happen. We learn
Emotionally Surviving Black Friday Black Friday, and especially the days leading up to it, can be intense, even if you’re not aware of it. It is important to pay attention to how marketers create a low level of emotion within us to get us to buy their products. This emotion