Dealing with Emotions During the Holidays (Surrounding COVID and 2020 Realities)

The holidays can bring out the best and worst in people. I tend to have more of a “PollyAnna” viewpoint, but with current situations surrounding COVID and 2020, I have noticed deeper emotions and more division this year than any other time in my life. Certainly, I’m not the only one dealing with this, so today we’re discussing how to handle these emotions surrounding the realities of 2020.

A woman holding her hands up to her head looking stressed, standing beside a Christmas tree.

Over the past couple of weeks I’ve been dealing with some added stress and anxiety that were actually waking me up at night and interfering with my sleep. Upon reflection, I really think it was all due to the heightened stress that we’re seeing on the news and social media.

So how do we deal with all the added stress that surrounds us this year because of COVID realities and politics surrounding this election year?

Listen to this week’s Pioneering Today Podcast (episode #285) to my tips on dealing with emotions during the holidays.

In this episode:

Giving an extra measure of grace to those around us this holiday season.
Focusing on people as a whole and not just focusing on a specific frustrating incident.
How to graciously steer conversations to common ground topics.
Learning to agree to disagree, kindly.
How to focus on the good.
Finding activities or traditions you CAN do instead of focusing on what you CAN’T do this year.
Find the things that bring you joy and focus on them!
Verse of the week: 1 Peter 3:10