Getting Through the Holidays Without Family
A Healthier Michigan
| 3 min read
More than one in nine Americans may spend the winter holidays without their family each year. This may be due to distance from family, loss of family members, financial difficulties or estrangement.
People who spend the holidays alone may feel lonelier and struggle to enjoy the festive time of year. Here are some tips on how to get through the holidays alone or without family around:
Practice self-care
Self-care is always important, especially if you are feeling lonely, sad or depressed. If the holidays are causing loneliness, use some of the time to focus on self-care. Self-care isn’t all about pampering and relaxation, it's about taking the best care of yourself. Make sure you eat regular meals and a well-balanced diet, get enough good quality sleep and get physical exercise each day. These may seem like simple steps, but they have a notable effect on mental health and overall well-being.
Reach out to others in your life
You are not the only person who is going to spend the holidays apart from their family. It’s likely you know someone else who is going through the holidays alone. Reach out to other people in your life for connection. Even a short, festive hangout or movie marathon with someone else in your life can help counteract loneliness.
Don’t judge this year against past years
It can be hard not to compare how you are spending the holiday to past years. The holiday season often conjures feelings of nostalgia and can make you miss traditions and gatherings of the past. It’s not realistic to expect every holiday to live up to the best holidays you can remember. Give yourself realistic expectations for how you will spend the holiday, and don’t get down on yourself for not having the same enjoyment you used to.
Volunteer or give back
Doing good for others can do a lot to lift your spirits and put everything into perspective. Each year around the holidays there are many opportunities to get involved in local or national efforts to help others. Volunteering time at a food pantry, nursing home, local community aid organizations or a house of worship are great ways to get involved. Your holiday will be more fulfilling and festive this way.
Spend time outside
As part of your self-care over the holidays, make sure you spend time outside. If you are looking for something festive to do, many communities have Christmas light displays you can walk through a holiday 5K or a parade. If you don’t want to be surrounded by holiday festivities or are looking for a way to be active outside in the winter months, you could try a cold-weather workout like snowshoeing, cross-country skiing or find paths to run, jog or hike. The winter months, while cold, still hold much beauty to appreciate. Getting outside and in the sunlight and fresh air will be good for you.
Start a new tradition
If spending time alone on the holidays isn’t likely to be a one-time occurrence for you, consider starting a new tradition for yourself. You can be the friend who organizes a holiday get-together for those you know without family nearby to spend time with, pick a craft or hobby to take up every holiday season or find a location nearby that you enjoy traveling to that you can turn into a yearly trip. This can help normalize spending holidays without family and make it easier as time goes on.
