How the Holidays Affect Emotional Trauma

The holiday season is full of joy and wonderful moments for many people. Yes, the holidays are stressful because of the gatherings, buying presents, and managing everyday life. For the most part, though, it's common for many to look forward to the packed full months of November and December. However, the holiday season isn't as enjoyable for other people. Unfortunately, many people struggle with coping with emotional trauma.

The holiday season can be a lot to handle for many people. Here are just a few reasons why the holidays can be traumatic.

Unhealthy Relationships

This is the time of year when we spend the most time with family. Of course, there are the main holidays and dinners that happen. But then, you need also to add in the smaller parties and gatherings that happen.

Family can be exhausting as it is, but when you don't have the best relationship with certain family members, it can actually be traumatizing. If there are unhealthy family dynamics or even non-existent relationships, it takes the joy right out of the holiday season.

Inevitably, the holidays seem to be when past drama and politics are often unnecessarily rehashed. This alone can make anyone dread what may be brought up at the dinner table.

Grief

We feel grief all year round, but the holidays always make grief feel even worse. When we are surrounded by people we love, it can be hard not to think about those who have passed away. You look around for this person unintentionally and then are reminded they won't be there. For some people, their circle has dwindled to the point where they don't have many people to celebrate the holidays with.

In both cases, the painful reality of grief feels like a ton of bricks. While there may be happy memories, it can be hard not to remember the emotional trauma of losing someone.

Isolation

The holidays may be filled with gatherings, but that doesn't mean everyone does just that. For whatever reason, some people isolate themselves away from their social circles or decline invitations. Alternatively, some people might not have anyone to celebrate with due to distance, lack of family or friends, or death.

Hearing stories of people surrounded by their loved ones, if you don't have anyone close to you, can cause past pain and frustration to resurface.

Picture Perfect Holidays Rarely Happen...But We Still Expect Them To!

We all have ideas of what the holidays will look like. This is exacerbated by images on social media of our peers and celebrities having seemingly marvelous times. Unfortunately, this isn't often a completely accurate picture of what the holidays are actually like.

Thinking about all the things that have gone wrong during past holidays can bring up reminders of traumatizing memories. Maybe the food didn't turn out great one year, or maybe another year, your whole family did nothing but argue.

It's also disheartening to be surrounded by holiday spirit when you aren't feeling it.

Anxiety and Depression Levels Increase

We all deal with challenging mental health concerns throughout the entire year. But for all the reasons above and more, they can also be filled with a rise in anxiety and depression levels.

With so much stress packed into these few months, it can be hard not to feel anxious or depressed at times. And, when you factor in how uncertain the future always seems to be, it's easy to ruminate on the past and what could happen and not think of any of it in a favorable light.

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If you are struggling this holiday season, know that you aren't alone. Don't hesitate to reach out to us for trauma, depression, or anxiety therapy so that you can process whatever is causing you difficulty during this time.