Tips For Celebrating The Holidays Post The Election
I know things are difficult for many who are coping with the outcome of the election. However, many may also be thinking about the upcoming holidays. Given the fatigue people are experiencing from the recent election, how do we move forward? Whether you are working with clients or trying to enjoy time with loved ones, here are some ideas.
Some Lighthearted Ideas for The Holidays
Election Detox: Take a break from the news cycle, texts and scrolling on your phone. Author Elizabeth Gilbert shared that she is off social media Wednesday until Friday to focus on other activities. What if instead of spending so much time engaged with media, you went outside in nature? You could also focus on including more lighthearted media that is uplifting.
Gratitude Jar with a Twist: The idea of gratitude can feel played out and boring. How about making it more fun? Get your loved ones together and each write on a piece of paper about the “funniest Thanksgiving moment.” Put all the ideas in a jar and read through them. Have the group vote on the funniest and give a small prize to the winner. Reflection and laughter can help everyone move on and get in the right mindset for the holiday season.
Turn Frustration into Fuel for Fun: Not everyone’s candidate won this past Tuesday. Help clients and loved ones to channel these emotions into creativity and engagement. Think of 1-2 things you can do to help during the holidays. Find light-hearted memes about holiday blunders. My favorite is a family friend who was hosting her daughter’s fiancé for the first time. She went all out to have a great meal and side dishes. The only problem was, she forgot to turn on the stove. For years, this family joked about that being the longest Thanksgiving ever.
Practice Witty Conversations or Activities: Keep your cool if your candidate lost or if you think you may have a challenging holiday season. Create a fun game around political trivia or “best pie contest.” Use these activities to break the tension, as it can be difficult to be around family members with different political views.
Finding Your Passion: The election is over. Now what? Consider throwing a low-cost fundraiser with political or holiday humor. How about an activism board? Social media is one tool that you can use to build community and support causes that are important to you. While the results of the election are out of your control, you can think about other forms of activism that you can engage with.
Remember, November is a time of thanks and gratitude. I have outlined ways to make it fun for people in your life. You can work to channel the recent stress into a season involving humor, growth and reflection.
Kay Gimmestad, LCSW-C is a business coach and clinician in New York City with 20 years of experience working in the profit and not for profit sectors of Human Resources, Health and Human Services. She has built a reputation for being highly skilled in facilitating behavior change while working with employees, both individually and in groups, on matters relating to performance management, substance abuse, crisis intervention, and stress/wellness.
