By Danielle D Jenkins, PsyD

 

People call the holidays the season of giving. In 2020, I am calling the holidays the season of loss. So many of us have been experiencing loss after loss this year, winding up with many of us being unable to have the holiday experiences we wish we could. Traditions that help us get into the spirit cancelled. Finances pinching our gifting or worrying us for what is coming. Seeing others making choices we know to put themselves and others at risk.

 

With loss comes grief. It is okay to grieve. Even if you know people who have things harder than you or who have lost more, it is okay to feel sadness, anger, irritability, apathy, and dread. Grief comes in waves no matter the cause. We have been grieving all throughout this pandemic. We may be experiencing all the stages of grief and that certainly affects ability to enjoy things we usually enjoy. It’s ok. We are all just doing our best.

 

If you have somehow managed to feel fun,...