If this time of the year brings up anxiety, depression, hopelessness, or loneliness for you, your body can be at the center of it. For many people, the memories that arise are filled with joy and happiness, for others  - survivors of childhood trauma - the body remembers this season with complex emotions.

Calendar filling up with events? Booking those tickets back to your hometown? A familiar sense of anxiety creeping in? You’re not alone. As the lights and holiday spirit go up around town, many of us are faced with less-than-festive feelings. 

Sometimes when trying to change patterns, cyclical thoughts and behaviors can bring you a lot of shame and frustration. Understanding that there is a significant physiological component to creating lasting change helps you to see you are not flawed or damaged.

Although your body is trying to protect you, often you might been triggered by something that is not actually dangerous. So, here are a few steps for helping yourself feel grounded after a trigger.