Coping during the Holidays in a Pandemic

By: Rachel Jordan, LLMSW

During the holidays, many people look forward to spending quality time with extended family, cook delicious holiday meals and desserts along with anxiously waiting to open up presents at family gatherings. Since this year will look different for many families as we begin the holiday season, I decided to share with you all how to cope with “different” during the holidays in a pandemic. 

When I started writing this post, I began to think about the “normal” gatherings that I used to have every year with my family and acknowledging how the pandemic has limited numerous things that brought me joy. After both of my siblings moved out of state, holidays became one out of two times that I would see them throughout the year. It was crucial to me that I took time off of work in order to spend quality time with my family. Packing my heavy suitcase and driving downstate became my “normal” routine for the holidays. 

This year, I am grieving the loss of the “normal” routine for the Holidays and spending less time with family. As I look back at pictures from last year, It saddens me to look at how much has changed since the pandemic occurred. The pandemic was unexpected and changed our “normal” routines. It is difficult to cope with change that we cannot control. 

As a mental health professional and someone who experienced difficult changes during the pandemic, I realized we cannot change the pandemic. However, we can change the way we cope with stress. Listening to audiobooks and podcasts, working out at the gym, and journaling are coping strategies that I found helpful to decrease my stress and anxiety during the holidays. The coping strategies that work for you might look different than mine and that is okay. It is helpful to acknowledge that the pandemic is temporary and there will be a time that we can safely interact with our families again. Until then, may you find your new “normal” way of coping with the change during the holidays. If you are struggling to find your new “normal” we are here to help.