Coping During the Holidays
The holidays can be a challenging time for anyone, but they can be especially difficult for those who have experienced trauma. The holiday season is often associated with feelings of joy, love, and togetherness, but for those who have experienced trauma, these feelings can be overshadowed by painful memories and emotions, and can lead to dysregulation.
A lot of things could be impacting this dysregulation:
Disruption in your routine
Traveling
Attend group events that you don’t regularly attend (religious services, parties, large family gatherings)
Interacting with family and friends in the group that you left
Late nights and/or early mornings
Increased substance use
Situations that trigger a desire to use substances
Being away from your home and familiar places
If you are struggling to cope with trauma during the holidays, know that you are not alone and that it is completely normal to feel overwhelmed. Today we want to share some ideas that can help you cope, especially when you don’t have access to your normal resources.
5 Senses Grounding Exercise
This image was created by @gmf.designs on Instagram.
This simple grounding exercise can be used in any setting or situation.
Start by turning your focus in on your breathing. Then, slowly look around and identify five objects that you see. If you want to add an extra challenge, try looking for five objects of the same color.
Next, identify four items that you can touch. Take the time to feel each object, focusing on each texture.
Name three sounds that you can hear. Maybe your pet is snoring nearby, or you can hear the traffic outside.
What are two things that you can smell? There might be a candle nearby, or lotion on your hands.
And finally, identify one thing that you can taste.
Take a few moments to sit in this mindfulness before returning to your surroundings.
A Compassionate Hand
This is a grounding exercise called A Compassionate Hand and is adapted from The Reality Slap, by Russ Harris. This is a grounding technique that invites you to think about someone else who is kind and compassionate, or a time when you have been kind and compassionate and picture that warmth and care in your hand. Envisioning this care in your hand, you place it over the area in your body where you are experiencing distress. You can find the full script for this exercise here, and can find a short video by Moriah on this exercise here.
Somatic Exercises
Gabriela Ucrós, AMFT frequently shares videos about somatic exercises on her account. These are quick and simple ways to connect to your body and reset your nervous system. Check out her page here.
Calming Your Nervous System
We shared a blog on Traumastery about calming your nervous system over the holidays. This blog covers topics like affirmations, connecting with safe people, and utilizing somatic coping skills to connect with your body.
Gift List for Trauma
We also created a gift list for those who have experienced trauma. Some of these items, like fidget rings or the trauma-informed yoga affirmation card deck, would travel well!
Interested in learning more about our unique approach to trauma therapy?
These blogs talk more about the basics of EMDR:
You can read more about Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy here:
Learn More About Our Approach to Therapy
