Handling Thanksgiving & Holiday Stress…

The holiday season is here and with it comes preparation for annual events, finalized budgets and general stress. The latter is a societal issue as many strive for the 100% holiday fantasy depicted in movies and projected by the media.

Harder This Year…
The commercial aspect of the holidays is overwhelming and one of the side effects is being "down in the dumps." This year we didn't have to wait for the holidays for that feeling of despair, doubt, and disaster. We've had a pandemic, racial injustices, and a crazed general election year that has put us in a prolonged funk. It's been a struggle for many to put a positive spin on much of anything.

Transition After Transition…
Radio and music have always gone through transitional periods, but nothing like 2020. No live concerts, professional sporting events without live butts in the seats, people forced out of "brick and mortar" to work from home, radio ad sales way down, kids either learning from home or on in a restrictive environment at school, Zoom conference calls replacing face to face meetings, hate groups becoming visible, health preventive measures calling for the wearing of masks & social distancing, furloughs, firings, layoffs, some turning preventive COVID-19 measures into a cult-like resistance movement, and a crazed general election year.

A timeout To Pause & Reset…
If there was ever a time Thanksgiving was needed, it's this year. However, we must take a different approach. Radio stations are a lot like the mail carrier, regardless of rain, sleet or snow, the job gets done. Normally the listener/consumer never knows what's going on behind some of those cheerful sounds coming out of their radio. But this year, listeners are aware that their favorite air personalities are in the same boat as they are.

Handling Thanksgiving & Holiday Stress…
Every year I revisit various psychiatrists, psychologists, and counselor websites for the best ways to handle holiday stress. I have again chosen some suggestions that might be helpful for air personalities, staff, and to share with listeners.

10 Tips To Handle Pandemic Holiday Stress

• Plan-Ahead - If you are going out of town for Thanksgiving or Christmas, it’s recommended that you get a COVID-19 test a few days before any planned travel. Make sure it’s done in enough time, so you'll get your results before leaving.
• Small Gathering Or Virtual - The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention recommends limiting large in-person gatherings this year. Keep the guest list to members of your own household. To include other family and friends it’s suggested to celebrate virtually. A survey conducted by OnePoll on behalf of HelloFresh, found 56 percent of respondents are planning on video conferencing for Thanksgiving and other holiday celebrating. For CDC Holiday suggestions click here.
• Breathe - Breathing is underrated as a way of calming yourself. You don't have to wait for a stressful situation to do it. Make it a point to sometimes just close your eyes, take deep breaths in, and let it out several times - Psychology Today.
• The Safe Zone - Don't bug people as to why they don't seem to be in the holiday spirit. This year many are planning to celebrate Thanksgiving virtually.
• Be Nice - It's easy to do, if someone is talking to you about one of their holiday traditions, be respectful and listen - even if you couldn't care less.
• Stay Calm - No matter what the emergency is with work or home, be the voice of reason and stay calm. During the holiday season, a crisis can blow out of proportion, don’t rise to the level of anxieties of others - your attitude could be the calming force to keep everyone focused on solving problems in a timely fashion.
• Acknowledge Your Feelings - If someone close to you has recently died or you can't be with loved ones, realize that it's normal to feel sadness and grief. It's okay to take time to cry or express your feelings. You can't force yourself to be happy just because it's the holiday season.
• Reach Out - If you feel lonely or isolated, pick up the phone, Skype or Zoom friends, family, or someone you have lost touch with.
• Set Aside differences - Try to accept family members, friends, and co-workers as they are, even if they don't live up to all of your expectations. Set aside grievances until a more appropriate time to talk it over. Try to be more understanding if others if they get upset or out of sorts. Chances are they're feeling the effects of the pandemic holiday stress too.
• Seek Professional Help - If you find yourself feeling persistently sad, anxious, unable to sleep, irritable, and feeling hopeless, talk to a doctor or a mental health professional.

Remember…
Taking the time to understand all things good or bad with this year and the holidays might help you keep things in perspective. Life is moment to moment --it’s a movie without any editing.