In Part One: https://www.recovery.org/pro/articles/challenges-to-having-a-holiday-in-... , we discussed many breakdowns reported to me by clients which can ruin the holidays. Now we will look at some tools to deal with those breakdowns. As I said in Part One having a strong mind is an important piece of the solution. Remember stress is in the eyes of the beholder. It certainly doesn’t feel like that to me sometimes and I continually have to remind myself to change my interpretation of the situation. The holidays are a great test to see how we do.
If you are fortunate enough to be in therapy, take some time to make an individualized plan for your holiday plans.
If you are in group therapy, I hope the group would address people’s concerns at this time of year.
Past History
If you feel emotionally strong enough to visit your family
or to have the family
celebration for the holidays, you must bring boundaries. It is not your job to have everyone “like” you during the holidays. It is your job to take care of yourself and have the holidays that you want for your memories. If you are visiting family
here are some boundaries that have worked for some of my clients:
Continue reading here: https://www.recovery.org/pro/articles/how-to-have-a-holiday-in-recovery/
Dr. Anne Brown PhD, RN of Sausalito, California, formerly from Aspen, Colorado is a psychotherapist, speaker, coach, and the author of Backbone Power: The Science of Saying No. For over twenty years she served as the trusted advocate and advisor to Influential Corporate leaders, Trial Attorneys, Athletes, Leaders, Physicians and their families whose connections extended far beyond Aspen, Colorado.
Twitter: @scienceofno
IG: @annebrown2013
FB: @developingyourbackbone
Website: www.backbonepower.com