Thanksgiving Day
The days leading up to a holiday can be filled with stress and anxiety. And It’s normal to experience exhaustion and sometimes feel a bit grumpy or tired or out of sorts for a day or more after a holiday has occurred. Thanksgiving Day is no exception. Let’s face it. Holidays are a reminder that our loved one is missing and that everything has changed. This change includes the role that our loved one played on a holiday.
For example, my husband was the one who made Thanksgiving Day and every other holiday fun every year. We went from fun to no fun and boring! That first Thanksgiving Day without him we went from hosting a large crowd at our house to my sister hosting a dinner for myself, my two children and my parents. There was no Venison. No games. No skeet shooting. And no Donld. No fun. I remember looking around the table at everyone and thinking this can’t happen again next year. But what are we going to do?
You Need a Plan
A plan for the day is helpful because a plan gets family and friends on the same page regarding what will and will not happen on the holiday. And a plan means that there are no unmet expectations because everyone knows what to expect. Best of all, a plan reduces stress and gets everyone involved to creatively think about ways to honor the memory of your loved one. However, it’s important to remember that plans are not set in cement. That what you do this year may not be what you want to do next year.
What I want you to do is to download my free eBook. Navigating The Holidays With A Plan
Self-Care
Keep in mind that it’s also very important for you to take care of you right now. Make sure you find time to rest – take a nap. And try not to eat junk food because you need fuel for healing. And this fuel comes from whole foods. Drink plenty of plain water. Allow yourself alone time for sorting through what you are feeling. Then redirect your thinking and actions to what you need to do for your healing. Most important, acknowledge how hard that you have been working and how far you have come in your healing. And start making your holiday plan for Christmas. See Blog: Self-Care Matters
Check out Special Days and Holidays in our book, Grieving Forward: Death Happened, Now What?
Special Days and Holidays begins on page 177. My Personal Holiday Plan is on page 193.