10 Strategies for Surviving Christmas Season With Family December 21, 2019 by Gillian Brown Leave a Comment Note: I am writing this article from my perspective of the holiday season, which is very Christmas-centric. Having said that, I believe that at least some of these hints can be applied to other holiday celebrations. The holidays are promoted, to an almost obnoxious level, as being a time of great joy and merriment. Families come around, delicious food is eaten, presents are … [Read more...]
Unhappy Holidays?: 3 Things To Remember About Your Holiday Depression December 9, 2019 by Aabye-Gayle Francis-Favilla Leave a Comment After my mother died, every supposedly joyous occasion had a pall thrown over it. Without her, it was hard to celebrate. Without her, everything felt empty. When my father-in-law lost his mother (my husband's grandmother) just a month before the holidays last year, I understood, in my own way, a bit of what he and his siblings would endure. Each time I witness someone losing a … [Read more...]
6 Tips for Easing Your Anxiety This Holiday Season November 27, 2019 by Constance Ray Leave a Comment The holidays are full of joy and cheer -- unless they’re not. For people with anxiety and depression, the holidays can be pretty miserable, leaving them looking for some kind of relief. If you’re the type to suffer from the holiday blues, there are ways to get through the season without a great deal of suffering. Here are six tips I've found help me cope. 1. Lower your … [Read more...]
The Secret Cult of Loneliness February 26, 2019 by Sonya Renee Taylor Leave a Comment This article was originally published for PowellsBooks.org and is reprinted by permission from the writer. I have the distinct feeling I am not supposed to write this. As if by virtue of my melanin I have been contractually bound to an unspoken creed, the first two rules of Black Woman Fight Club: Rule #1: We do not talk about being lonely. Rule #2: We DO NOT talk about being … [Read more...]
Surviving the Holidays With Sensory Processing Disorder December 12, 2018 by Rachel S. Schneider, Guest Writer Leave a Comment Five years ago, I wedged myself into a town car with two fistfuls of luggage and settled into my seat next to my parents. My palms were drenched with sweat, I was unusually clad in comfortable velveteen sleep pants, and I was headed into the middle of New York City rush hour traffic to get to the airport. To take a flight. At night. Overnight. For days leading up to this trip … [Read more...]
Holiday Stress: Five Ways to Manage the Chaos That Comes With the Holidays December 11, 2018 by Ginger Stickney Leave a Comment With the coming dark, my own body shifts into a cycle of down time. As someone who celebrates the shifting of the yearly cycle, I’ve learned to let myself flow with them. When winter comes, I hibernate and it’s okay. But hibernating is hard with the rush of the holiday season. There’s just so much to celebrate, along with so much to do. In the last couple of days alone, I … [Read more...]