If you are celebrating it alone this year, here are a few ways you can alleviate your sadness this Holiday Season.

Give Yourself a Break

Loneliness is not an indication that you’re doing anything wrong or that there is something wrong and unlovable about you.

Even people that are in relationships can feel incredibly lonely. Loneliness affects everyone at some point in their life.

Take Yourself on a Date

This Holiday, if you find yourself a party of one, order in or make your favorite food and watch your favorite movie.

Take a nice long bath. Listen to your favorite music. Buy yourself a little gift, update the wardrobe, or go window-shopping.

Show Your Love for Others

This is a great time to show your affection and appreciation for the wonderful people in your life. Get your best friend a box of chocolates or your mom a bouquet of flowers. Call a friend or family member. Volunteer in charity work, engage with your religious community.

You can be filled with love by being loved, and you can be filled with love by loving and engaging with others. If you find yourself in despair and feeling alone reach out to a local hotline and ask for help.

The holidays are one of the most stressful times of the year. Meeting with friends, relatives, and or just old memories can be challenging and sometimes lonely.
Here are some tips to help you stay cool, calm, collected and helps drive away the blues.

Embrace Flaws

No one is perfect. You may try to have “the perfect holidays,” it’s simply not going to happen. Accept imperfections, embrace reality.

Be Kind

Some people feel very sad and depressed around the holidays because of loss. Since you can’t know what’s in other people’s hearts and minds, focus on controlling your own and show kindness. You’ll be surprised how you can bless someone with just a kind greeting or action.

Practice Self-Care

Often, when we feel stressed, our good habits go right out the window! Unhealthy foods, too much alcohol and not enough sleep will not be kind to us. Be sure to treat yourself well and take care of your health during this time.

Speak with Someone

If you’d like to speak to someone, please get in touch with me. I’d love to help you de-stress so you and your loved ones can enjoy the holiday season.

When trauma is suppressed, it often leads to mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and even PTSD.

How Somatic Meditation Helps Heal Trauma

Somatic Meditation and Mindfulness help people suffering from the effects of trauma by getting them to become aware of the trauma in their body, and teaches individuals how to release tension from the body.

Trauma and the Nervous System

Trauma exists in our body’s nervous system. When we experience acute or chronic trauma, our nervous system goes into “fight or flight” mode. To treat trauma, we must do so on a physical level by learning to calm ourselves.
If we do not allow our nervous systems to come back to a calm and neutral state, we are kept in a state of high arousal, and eventually, our nervous system becomes overwhelmed and shuts down. This is often when depression and PTSD symptoms present.

If you’ve experienced trauma, please get in touch with me. I would be very happy to discuss somatic exercises and other Trauma treatments with you further and answer any questions you may have.
Nick Vetter, LMFT 818-835-0779. Sessions are $100 per 50 minutes, some insurances accepted.

 

Have anxiety?  Trouble sleeping? Read on.

1. Exercise

Exercise will produce chemicals in your brain that elevate mood, and provide some relief for anxiety. Exercise can help you sleep better.

2. Daylight

Daylight helps set sleep patterns, try to spend 30 minutes outdoors (needn’t be direct sun), it helps to regulate the body’s circadian clock.

 

3. Healthy Habits

Healthy balanced meals help improve sleep habits. It’s also important to avoid big meals or alcohol for several hours before bedtime.

 

4. Night Time Routine

Create a nightly routine. Minimize screen time. Dim lighting. Do some light reading. Go to bed around the same time every night.

 

5. A Comfortable Bedroom

Keep your bedroom cool, dark, and quiet. Have a window open to keep the air smelling fresh.

Thanks for reading and sleep well. Nick Vetter, LMFT 818-835-0778