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Coping with Holiday Stress

The first snowstorm of the season is here, so heat up some cocoa, sit back, and let's dive right into it! With low temperatures but high spirits, the youth participated in an open discussion about coping with the holiday stress.

If unchecked, holiday stress can lead to damaging habits or actions like overeating or lack of sleep. But there are ways to handle holiday stress and prevent the side effects. We reviewed the "Coping with  Holiday Stress Worksheet," and there are nine questions in total that help to reflect on your stress levels during the holidays. The youth chat focused on four of the nine questions that all the participating youths reflected on and shared their answers with the whole group.


The first point is to let go of unrealistic expectations. For example, there is no such thing as a perfect holiday gathering. Then we spoke about honestly expressing your emotions to loved ones during the holiday, so you don't bottle up negative feelings. The last two points were to expect the unexpected, and know when to take a step back from the chaos. And when you are filled with stress, pause, and remind yourself what is the true meaning of the holidays. Reflect on the family, friends, and loved ones to which you are grateful. The best gift this season is the community. 


Before signing off, we want to wish a happy birthday to these two awesome guys: Daniel and Jose who both have birthdays in the month of December! Happy birthday! And you are both awesome. 


Note: For the next two weeks, we will not be hosting the Youth Chat on Wednesday, December 23rd, and Dec 30th. However, we will have two special blog posts for Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. So stay alert!

How would you answer the questions on the worksheet? Is there anything you really hope to see in the upcoming blog posts? Let us know in the comment section below, and check back here next week to find out what's special on the SPAN Youth Hub!

🎄🎅🎄🤶

Author,

Jeremy Hayer

Resources:


  1. The SPAN Youth Chat: the-span-youth-chat

  2. The Coping with Holiday Stress Worksheet: https://d2zhgehghqjuwb.cloudfront.net/accounts/1450/original/1447865239752-cjxp8t0rzzc-37e0849508ae51d2ed1a0aa6f256aabd.pdf?1447865241

  3. The Holiday List: https://www.bcm.edu/pdf/covid-19/Baylor-Holiday-Bubble-Checklist.pdf

  4. Subscribe to SPAN's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/SPANAdvocacy

  5. SPAN YouTube Channel’s Playlist - Youth-Focused Videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGXju3IK5UOWXGDV1Fzfrc2DJuDDqOKTu

  6. Link to SPAN's website: https://spanadvocacy.org/

  7. Link to SPAN’s Youth In the Know Resource Page: Youth in the Know

  8. We’re here for you!  Call SPAN if you need assistance: 1-800-654-7726


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