So it is that time of the year. When your loved ones gather around you, and you are supposed to be filled with joy at the prospect of spending quality time with your family and making good memories. There are certain societal expectations attached to the festive season. Everyone is expected to put on a smile, sing, and be in a better mood than usual.
However, the holiday season is not always just about gifts, laughter, and good food. The overwhelming pressure to be happy and enjoy family gatherings triggers social anxiety among a lot of people. In fact, holiday seasons are frequently related to high stress and anxiety levels. Many people feel pressured to fake a good mood during the holiday season when, in reality, they might have been struggling with growing social anxiety. Additionally, the financial cost of the whole season and feelings of loss and grief might make the time even more taxing for someone.
Most people tend to hide their worries because they fear disappointing their family members by being a spoiled sport of the season. However, one needs to know that such feelings are totally normal, and they deserve to be heard and understood. There are several ways to manage the social anxiety arising during the holiday season.
Let us dive deeper into some of the most effective and least intimidating ways to deal with social anxiety during holiday season this year.
1. Be unapologetic about your feelings.
Everyone handles emotions and situations in their own way. Therefore, it is not your fault if you feel intense social anxiety during the festive season. The first thing you can do to help yourself is to accept your condition and stop feeling guilty about it. Once you understand that it’s not your fault and stop beating yourself up for it, the guilt of having to behave in a certain way will no longer pull you down.
Read more: How To Fix Myself Mentally And Emotionally
2. Identify the triggers.
So what about the holiday season triggers your anxiety? Is it being in overcrowded house parties? Are you afraid of saying or doing something wrong or embarrassing? Do people who are generally present around you during the festive season push you into conversations you don’t want to have? When you have a clear answer to what triggers your social anxiety, you have a manageable problem on your hand. Now, rather than looking at the whole holiday season, you can focus on your triggers and work on them to help yourself.
3. Devote time for yourself.
When you learn to live in the moment rather than stressing about how you should behave, you are able to be much more comfortable. Being happy is not an end goal; it is a state of being, and you have to learn to accept and feel it in the most mundane situations. Often the middle of the festive season and the associated multitasking around it can weigh down on you. Therefore, it is okay to take some time out for yourself and acknowledge how you have been feeling lately. And eventually, when you feel like you have the energy, you can process those feelings and learn to work on them.
Read more: What It Means To Truly Savor The Moment.
Conclusion:
The holiday season is filled with multiple activities – family gatherings, nosy relatives, financial stress, lack of proper sleep, and a lot of multitasking. If all this commotion triggers social anxiety in you, it is nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, it is totally normal to feel bogged by the expectations levied on you during the festive season. We hope these small tips will help you better deal with your social anxiety during holiday season.
Therapy is a potent way to deal with social anxiety related to the holiday season. Therapy has become even more accessible with the advent of online therapy platforms. To learn more about the most convenient and affordable online therapy platforms, click here.
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