Coronavirus Holiday Tips for Celebrating Safely

by Melody Wright, LMFT

Life by Design Therapy wishes all of our clients a happy Thanksgiving and a very merry holiday season! As we approach a long string of winter holidays, COVID-19 is on everyone's minds. The holidays offer an important opportunity to reconnect with family and friends, which we could all use right now given the stress of current events -- but many of us are wondering if it is feasible or even safe to plan a holiday celebration during a global pandemic.

While this year's celebrations may need to look different, we believe it is vital to embrace the holidays as best as we can. After all, the holidays offer opportunities for slowing down, connecting with loved ones, and nourishing our minds, bodies, and spirits with food and festivities -- all of which can contribute positively to our mental health. With that in mind, here are our best tips for celebrating the holidays safely despite the coronavirus pandemic.

Important Guidelines for Celebrating the Holidays

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a set of guidelines for celebrating the holidays safely. To do our part toward slowing the spread of the coronavirus, we should all implement these measures into our holiday celebrations to the best of our ability. Currently, the CDC's guidelines include:

• Celebrating with members of your immediate household or holding a virtual celebration

• Avoid traveling for the holidays as much as possible

• Consider gathering outdoors, as the risk of spread is lower than indoors

• Practice safety measures like hand-washing and mask-wearing at holiday events

• Limit alcohol consumption, which impairs our judgment, making it harder to stick to safety regulations and social distancing

• Do not attend holiday celebrations if you have tested positive for or have symptoms of COVID-19

Here in California, where Life by Design Therapy is located, there is a limited stay-at-home order in effect for certain counties. People who live in high-spread areas are advised to stop all non-essential work and activities and stay home between 10 am and 5 pm. It's unclear how long this order will last or how it might impact your holiday celebrations. You may want to plan a virtual gathering in the event that in-person celebrations are no longer possible.

California has also prohibited all gatherings where more than three households are present until further notice. This means that you can gather with your immediate household and two other households. (College students and family members who don't live with you should be considered members of separate households.) These rules apply to both indoor and outdoor gatherings.

Tips for Celebrating Safely with Loved Ones

Celebrating the holidays during a pandemic does not need to mean isolating yourself from your loved ones or letting go of important traditions. You can still celebrate the holidays safely despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are some tips for making the most of your holiday celebrations during this unconventional year:

• Plan virtual celebrations. The safest way to celebrate during the COVID-19 pandemic is online. Best of all, celebrating online means you do not need to leave vulnerable relatives, such as the sick and elderly, out of your celebrations. Zoom, Skype, and FaceTime are great options for connecting with loved ones from the safety of your home.

• Take advantage of modern technology. These days, phone calls and video chat are just the beginning of ways to connect with your loved ones online. Nowadays, there are multiplayer games that can be played by family members across the country and browser extensions for holding synchronized movie nights from afar. Look into what technology is available to make your celebrations more creative.

• Watch movies or television. Normally, the holidays offer an opportunity to get away from the screens -- but watching a favorite holiday movie or the Thanksgiving Day parade on TV is a safe, socially distanced way to enjoy holiday celebrations from afar. Virtual traditions like these are some of the only ones that won't need to change to accommodate the pandemic, so embrace them! 

• Practice gratitude. Thanksgiving and the rest of the winter holidays are a wonderful time to express appreciation for all we have. It can be challenging to feel grateful when it feels like so much has been lost to the pandemic, but the holidays offer an important reminder of all of our blessings. Acknowledging and honoring all the things you have to be grateful for can even boost your mood and improve your overall sense of well-being. 

• Send snail-mail. These days, getting snail-mail is a bit of a novelty. Sending a holiday card is a socially distanced way to let your loved ones know you are thinking of them, especially for elderly relatives who may not feel comfortable using modern technology. Kids may even enjoy crafting their own holiday cards as a way to keep busy on their holiday break.

• Embrace gift-giving. Giving gifts is a time-honored holiday tradition. Right now, sending a gift is one of the safest ways to show a loved one you care about them and are thinking of them during the holidays. For many people, receiving a gift helps them feel appreciated and loved, even if it is small or inexpensive.

• Reach out for support. This time of year, it is normal to experience increased stress or the "holiday blues." It's even more normal to feel this way during a global pandemic that has completely upended the ways we celebrate the holidays with family and friends. Know that there is nothing wrong with needing a bit of extra support as we approach this challenging season. Keep in touch with your support systems in a safe way, and don't be afraid to reach out to a Life by Design Therapy provider if you need professional support to help you through the holidays.

Ways to Embrace the Holidays During the Pandemic

by Melody Wright, LMFT

The holiday season is rapidly approaching -- and with the change in seasons, so is the possibility of another wave of COVID-19 cases striking our nation. 

When watching the news, it can be easy to get discouraged by the plans we'll have to cancel and the traditions we won't get to experience. But the presence of a global pandemic does not mean the holidays are cancelled.

This year's celebrations might look different, but we can still enjoy the holidays with family and friends in safe, socially distanced ways. Here's how to navigate the holidays, logistically and emotionally, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Coping with Change

Whatever your usual holiday traditions, there is a very real chance that your plans may need to change in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. These changes can be challenging in terms of planning, but also to cope with emotionally. 

Some changes might create conflict between you and your family members. People may disagree about the safety measures that should be taken to protect vulnerable family members from the virus. Additionally, limits on the number of people who can gather for the holidays might mean disappointing relatives who didn't make the guest list.

Your safety, and that of your at-risk loved ones, must take the ultimate priority. With that in mind, you may need to make tough choices about who to spend the holidays with, based on the precautions your friends and family are taking to avoid getting sick. But that does not mean these decisions are easy to make, especially when they mean disappointing loved ones.

If you are feeling anxious, sad, angry, or afraid about the changes you will need to make to your holiday celebrations, it's important to acknowledge your emotions. Whatever you are feeling during this trying time is valid. That being said, that does not mean you should give into old or potentially unhealthy coping strategies to deal with these emotions.

People with mental health conditions like anxiety, depression, or substance use disorder may find they are triggered by the stress of the pandemic. Understanding that this year's holidays might be more challenging than usual means creating a coping plan ahead of time so that you will not give in to any of your default habits, like abusing substances or avoiding your emotions.

Think about the ways you usually cope with stress.  Do they make you feel better or worse? Are the consequences positive or negative? Then, add some additional habits you want to incorporate -- such as exercising, crafting, meditating, or journaling -- to build into your routine to help you manage holiday stress. By managing your own stress response, you will also be less vulnerable to anger, which may reduce family conflict around the holidays.

Celebrating Safely

The COVID-19 pandemic does not mean you need to cancel your holiday plans, but it does mean you may need to make changes to adapt your celebrations to the most recent safety guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other global, federal, state, and local regulatory agencies.

One of the most challenging regulations to deal with is the limit on the number of attendees that can be present at family gatherings. In California, the current rule is that no more than three households can be present at any private gathering. This means that while you can still see your close family around the holidays, you may not be able to hold parties or large gatherings with extended family.

If you want to see your extended family over the holidays, you might consider bringing your annual celebrations online using a video chat platform like Zoom or Skype. You can even get creative with technology: for example, you could plan a virtual movie night using the Teleparty extension for Google Chrome, which allows you to invite friends and family to a synchronized viewing of your favorite holiday film on Netflix.

Many of us have older relatives or relatives who are immunocompromised and worry about whether our holiday celebrations could negatively impact their health. Online celebrations are also a good option for these family members, who can stay safe at home while still avoiding isolation over the holidays. 

However, some elderly family members may not feel comfortable using technology or have access to the kind of technology needed to take part in virtual gatherings. In that case, an old-fashioned phone call or a holiday card sent by snail mail can let your older relative know that you are thinking of them, without putting them at risk of contracting the virus.

Some of us who live far from our families may need to weigh the risks of travel against the benefits of spending the holidays with loved ones. Whenever possible, it is safer to stay home -- but it is understandable that we would not want to feel isolated during such a special time of year. If you do choose to travel over the holidays, make sure you are complying with the latest regulations, such as wearing masks in public areas and social distancing whenever possible.

Navigating the holidays during the COVID-19 pandemic brings new challenges to our winter festivities, but that does not mean we cannot enjoy this time of year with family and friends. Start planning for the holidays now to ensure you can cope effectively and comply with all safety regulations necessary to have a safe and enjoyable celebration. 

And, if you find that you need additional support during this stressful time, remember that Life by Design Therapy is always here for you. Schedule a phone consultation with one of our therapists to help you manage the holiday blues no matter what you're celebrating, without leaving the safety of your home.