![HAVE REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS | Extravagant holiday parties and family dinners are out of the picture this year. Being realistic with yourself and understanding that this is the case for almost everyone will help you handle the emotions that might come with missing these events, according to Rashid. "I think keeping your expectations realistic about what you can and can't do this year will be a good place to begin," Rashid says. "We're often expecting the holiday season to look and feel a certain way because it's what we're used to being exposed to. For example, [you might have] the expectation that you need to have a lot of presents under your tree or that you need to be the perfect host of a New Year's Eve party. These are both ideas that might not be realistic for many this season just because of financial and safety reasons."](https://bancodeprofissionais.com/wp-content/uploads/migration/2020/11/30/7FTAGTW7CAX5QIPP5ZCXIRRP5Y.jpg?w=535 "7FTAGTW7CAX5QIPP5ZCXIRRP5Y")
The holiday season, as festive and jolly as it might seem, can also be a stressful time. Add in a global pandemic that has required separation from family and friends as well as altering or canceling annual traditions, and not only might this holiday season feel stressful, but it might also feel lonely and depressing.
“I think there are probably people who have gone months without a high-five, hug or kiss on the cheek, and they’re starting to realize what it feels like to not have that physical connection with other people they care about,” says Dr. JaNaé Taylor, a licensed psychotherapist, and owner and operator of Taylor Counseling and Consulting Services. “They might feel emptiness or a void.”
As coronavirus cases continue to surge in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that we replace our high-risk, large holiday celebrations with small gatherings that include the family and friends in our social distancing bubble. For some, this could mean not seeing children, grandchildren or siblings. For others, it could mean spending the holidays isolated.
And for people who have lost loved ones to the virus, this holiday season will be the first that they won’t have those people at the dinner table.
The negative health effects of loneliness have been compared to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. If the thought of the holiday season makes you feel alone, anxious, sad or a combination of the three, here are tips from Taylor as well as Incia A. Rashid, a licensed professional counselor on the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Team at The Family Institute at Northwestern University, to help you get through this time.
