Dec 23, 2020
The holidays in a normal year can be tough for many, and “a tough time” sounds like a euphemistic understatement for 2020!
To help us combat our Holigay Blues, I sat down with Mikayla M. Weathers, M.A., LMFT.
Mikayla is a queer licensed marriage and family therapist born and raised in San Diego, CA. Currently, she’s working part-time at an Addiction Treatment facility, building her private practice, and homeschooling her two kids due to distance learning.
Watch our chat or read on for how to deal with common emotional challenges.
How it feels: Sadness or isolation from friends or family due to distance, COVID, finances, single status, etc.
This year, you may not be with family sharing your holiday traditions or may not have a date to kiss on New Year’s Eve. This can lead to low self-esteem, negative thoughts, and unhealthy behaviors.
How it feels: Anger, sadness, and discomfort due to not feeling fully accepted by the family.
This could be driven by your queer identity, differing political views, etc.
How it feels: Grief has five stages (which may not be experienced sequentially): anger, bargaining, denial, depression, and acceptance.
This sense of loss may come from the death of loved ones, a relationship ending, or the absence of traditions this year.
How it feels: Anxiety, stress, or sadness caused by the pressure to spend money on gifts during a year with widespread job loss, creating more debt and stress.
Not buying gifts may lead to feeling like a bad friend or family member.
TRY THIS AT HOME: Commit to trying one new technique when one of these emotional challenges inevitably arises in your life. Happy Holigays, and see you in 2021!
Nicole (she/her) is the editor of the HER newsletter and a queer events producer (creator of Queer Dating 101), executive/life/dating coach, avid shark diver, and author of the upcoming memoir, The No Plan Plan. In this column, Out on a Lim, she focuses on intentionally “learning things the hard way” by trying anything twice so you don’t have to (unless you want to!). Check out Nicole on IG|web|newsletter, and share your experiences or ideas for what to explore next! 🤙 🌈