As you enter the holiday season, chances are, you bring with you a myriad of thoughts, expectations, and emotional responses based on your current mental focus. During a time in which we are encouraged and reminded to reflect on expressing gratitude and appreciation for the gifts and blessings in life, we may also be struggling to understand or accept the discomfort that might also accompany this time of year, depending on your circumstances. Without awareness, this dichotomy can easily increase stress responses, amping up our anxiety while we prepare ourselves for uncomfortable conversations that have yet to be had or elicit feelings of sadness as the recognition that an ideal circumstance may not be possible begins to settle in our minds.
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