Christmas Alone

I've spent Christmas alone. Everyone else seemed to have people to go home to, and that year, I didn't.

The silence.
The awkward "so what are your plans?"
The temptation to scroll through everyone else's highlight reels.

If that's you this year, you're in good company. 61% of people expect to feel lonely during the holidays.

Here's what I've learned about getting through it:
→ 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐬. Alcohol is a depressant. Food affects mood. Movement helps.
→ 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲. Unstructured time feeds rumination. A walk. A film. A meal you cook for yourself.
→ 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝. Text a friend. Check on a neighbor. Helping others is often easier than asking for help.
→ 𝐋𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠. Under 30 minutes a day reduces loneliness. Research backs this.
→ 𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞. The gap between the expectation to feel festive and reality can be painful. Solitude can be rich when you let go of the idea that it should look like something else.

If this is a hard year, remember it's a season, not a sentence. And seasons change.