I want to talk about The Holidays (TM).
The holiday season is hard. It’s especially hard this year, for obvious reasons, but it’s always hard. Family is stressful. Everyone’s family is stressful, for a variety of reasons. I get frustrated by my family, I don’t like to stay in their house, and I somehow find myself feeling like a child as opposed to an adult despite their constant reminders that I am not. I love my family, and we have always been close, but the holidays are still stressful.
My significant other has a terrible relationship with his parents. Just brutal. No physical abuse, but a kind of emotional trauma that has lasting effects 6 years after he no longer lived in their home. He still sees (though virtually this year) his family for Christmas, including his parents. This is extremely stressful for him.
This year has made the holiday season even more difficult and complicated and stressful than ever before. It has been a terrible, horrible year in a lot of ways. Be it pandemic, racial injustice, job loss, presidential elections, life in general. This year has sucked for a lot of people in a lot of ways.
All this to say, do not feel guilty for being stressed this holiday season. Do your best to not feel guilty for being annoyed by your family. But also don’t feel guilty for thinking of the good things that happened to you this year. And try to empower the good things that happened to others.
Be safe and happy holidays.
