‘Tis the Season to Navigate Stress and the Holidays with The Art Therapy Project
As we move into winter,
we notice the temperatures fall and the trees become bare, though there is an added warmth of holiday festivity and often, days full of activity. While there may be a lot to celebrate, there may also be a lot to navigate from heightened environments, potentially difficult emotions, tricky interpersonal dynamics and the general overwhelm of many tasks at hand. All of this may accumulate to a higher stress level than normal, which can interfere with embracing the joy and connection that often comes with holidays.
As the seasonal holidays unfold, The Art Therapy Project wants to share some of our team’s holiday stress tips.
Let’s start with the often anxiety-inducing crowds and busy stores.
If purchasing gifts is central to your holiday practices, you may plan to shop earlier in the morning or later in the evening to avoid crowds. Google has a helpful feature showing more popular times for foot traffic when you search a particular store. Of course, there is always the option of ordering gifts online, or our favorite at The Art Therapy Project: crafting instead of buying! This stress-buster not only helps you avoid crowds and reduce that anxiety, but it may also help reduce the financial costs that often come along with the holiday season. Plus, a highly personalized gift is a great way to connect with those you care about and the process of creating may be nurturing in itself.
For some of us, shorter days and lack of sun may trigger seasonal depression.
One suggestion from our team is to dedicate time to ongoing projects. The sense of accomplishment after finishing something you care about can go a long way. On the physical side, some members of our team encourage you to take your vitamins! This is one way to ensure your body has what it needs to move through the winter season.
Noticing the body is one step towards a mindfulness practice, another team favorite when it comes to coping with mental health and the holidays.
Mindfulness practices can range from various types of meditation, exercise, or activity. The key to mindfulness is that the activity is driven by a deliberate focus, shifting our thoughts from fretting over the past or future to being dedicated to the present moment, the present action, or the present intention. If you notice yourself mentally preoccupied by stressors, you may benefit from being more present in your body to connect with the here and now. Want to magnify the stress reduction? One way of doing this could be to bring a mindful approach to a physical task, like washing dishes. Allowing the action of scrubbing each dish to hold your focus, rather than drifting to the past or future, may help you find peace of mind and some stress-free moments. Plus, when you’re done, you’re left with an empty sink and one less item on your to-do list!
To-do lists may also support stress management.
For some of our team members, the flurry of activity in the holiday season can send our minds into a tailspin: thoughts on gifts to give, cookies to bake, meals to plan, packages to ship and what to wear to the holiday party. When you need to jump into action, creating a list of what needs to be done can be grounding. There are a few tricks to this though, to avoid feeling simply overwhelmed! Handwriting the list on paper is a great way to spend a few moments with the body as you organize your thoughts. As you create the list, order the items based on priority or ability to be completed. Once the list is complete, your mind may be whirling so envision yourself completing everything on it–this is very far away from the here-and-now presence we mentioned before. If you notice yourself zooming too far into the future, take a few moments to return to the present and re-center on your current priority: the first item on the list. You may also flip that list over and scribble out any frustration or doodle to decompress until you feel ready to make moves. Building in breaks to rest and restore are the key to longevity as you tackle your holiday to-do list. Lastly, remember that sense of accomplishment we mentioned? Don’t forget to check off or cross out each item when you are done – it feels so good!
Building in breaks can also be key in ensuring you have enough bandwidth to engage with holiday events.
Whether it’s simply a full schedule or an event that involves complicated relationships, paying attention to what you need or when you need to take a step back is important for your overall wellbeing. This could mean limiting time spent at an event, taking space for a moment of mindfulness at a gathering, identifying a person to connect with as a support in real time or even staying home. Choosing how to engage with the holiday season and connecting with your support system may be the route to embracing as much joy as possible throughout the month.
Lastly, we wouldn’t be The Art Therapy Project if we didn’t take a moment to share the power of giving back as we navigate holiday stress. This could look like donating to a cause that you value, volunteering to connect with the community or even baking your favorite treats and giving them all away! Supporting causes and communities you care about can be a powerful way to build a broader sense of connection and celebration as we move through the winter holidays.
Author: Jenny Asaro MPS, ATR-BC, LCAT
Jenny Asaro is a Licensed Creative Arts Therapist, as well as Registered and Board Certified through the ATCB. Her therapeutic approach hinges on a trauma-informed framework to best support individuals as they move through catharsis, coping and growth.
Throughout her academic and professional career, Jenny has worked with a wide range of people to provide art therapy services: from children experiencing social-emotional difficulties and adolescents who have experienced trauma, to young adults coping with substance abuse and adults involved in the justice system.
Author: Jenny Asaro, MPS, ATR-BC, LCAT
Her therapeutic approach hinges on a trauma-informed framework to best support individuals as they move through catharsis, coping and growth.
Throughout her academic and professional career, Jenny has worked with a wide range of people to provide art therapy services: from children experiencing social-emotional difficulties and adolescents who have experienced trauma, to young adults coping with substance abuse and adults involved in the justice system.