Today we’re talking about how to handle the holidays when you’re dealing with loss or emotional pain, plus how we can support and comfort those who are hurting during this time of year.

It’s that time of year again where there is lots of excitement in the air with all of the Fall and Winter holidays that have been recently celebrated and are fast approaching. While it’s a joyful time of year for many, it’s also a very difficult, demanding, and draining time for those who are dealing with the weight of a loss or any type of emotional pain. 

Unfortunately, these individuals often feel alienated and maybe even defective because everyone else around them looks so happy, while they feel like they can barely get through the day. Furthermore, this is our second holiday season amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, and a lot of people are also feeling incredibly burnt out, disappointed, frustrated, and distraught because of the changes and losses that they’ve experienced.

In this episode, I’m going to talk about why the holiday season, in particular, is such a tricky time for people who are hurting, the importance of nurturing ourselves and doing less or doing things differently when we’re feeling overwhelmed and emotionally exhausted, and five steps for having successful, comforting, and supportive conversations with those who are hurting during this holiday season.

“Going through a serious loss is like being hit by a Mack truck. And if you got hit by a Mack truck and you were in a body cast, you wouldn’t be expecting too much of yourself. Well, you have been hit by an emotional Mack truck, and you’re in an emotional body cast. So, you still need to take it easy. You still need to nurture yourself. You still need to allow yourself to say, “No,” to not participate in everything, to pick and choose wisely that which will feed you and that which will drain you.”  –  Paula Shaw

About Paula:

Paula Shaw was Certified by the Grief Recovery Institute’s Program through Loyola Marymount Univesity as a Grief Recovery Specialist. She has been helping grieving people for over 28 years, using mind/body techniques to guide them through the discomfort of change and challenge, eliminating stress, depression, anxiety, weight gain, relationship distress, career challenges, a lack of energy, and self-destructive, addictive behavior.

These tools bypass the conscious mind–which is often rendered useless when emotions overwhelm us–and they work directly with the subconscious mind to shift problematic thinking, feelings, and behaviors that can result. Through these methods, it is possible to feel a sense of power and control in your life in a very short time.

Paula helps individuals regain successful lives by quickly identifying and eliminating self-sabotaging behavior and limiting beliefs by uncovering and addressing their core issues. Working with a wide variety of healing modalities, she provides her clients with the most effective processes for their specific needs. Because every person has unique challenges, this customized approach is critical to their success.

Paula is also the author of Chakras, the Magnificent Seven, which is a primer to the Chakra System and how to use it for greater health and healing, Grief… When Will This Pain Ever End?, which looks at loss and grief and provides practical, simple articles, processes, and exercises to help a grieving person move through their pain and back into joyful living, and her latest book, Saying The Right Thing When You Don’t Know What To Say, which is a guide to navigating difficult conversations that provides five steps to creating helpful, healing conversations.

If you are experiencing issues that feel overwhelming and you think that you might need help to overcome them, Paula offers a complimentary 20-minute consult that you can book on her website www.PaulaShaw.com, or contact her at (858)-480-9234.

“A person in emotional pain does not need intellectual information. This is not like a puzzle they’re trying to solve. Intellect is not what’s important when we’re hurting. Humanity is. Heart is. Come from your heart. Respond as a person, as another human, who gets it, who sees their pain. And if you do that, you will say something helpful and healing. You will.”  –  Paula Shaw

Check out the video of this episode below:

“In this season of love and joy, let’s remember to bring our love and our joy to everyone we encounter. And to give them whatever we can give them to help make their day a little brighter. And sometimes that’s just human understanding of all the things that are going on that are hurting them during this holiday season.”  –  Paula Shaw

Resources:

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