The holiday season is a time to sit back and take stock of the past year. We get to be with family, with friends, and, if we’re lucky, to take a bit of a break. It has been a very busy and productive year at the Center for Women’s Mental Health. It has been gratifying to have so many new residents, fellows and faculty members join our group this year. We are so fortunate to be part of such a vibrant, creative, and caring community.
We recognize, however, that the last year has been tough for so many. This is again a holiday season without precedent. On the one hand, it seems as if many people are for the first time since the pandemic expanding their holiday celebrations. On the other hand, many people continue to play it safe, attempting to avoid not only COVID, but the flu and RSV. For the vast majority of us, the holidays have looked very different over the last few years.
While there are plenty of opportunities to feel connected, joyful, and thankful, this time of year also brings pressures, expectations, conflict, disappointment, loneliness, and even grief.
From the members of the MGH Psychiatry Community, we offer some words of wisdom to help guide us through the holiday season. We are enormously grateful to and inspired by our patients, our readers, our staff, and our colleagues. We wish you health and happiness for the holiday season and into the new year.
Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds
The Holiday Season: Tips for Post Pandemic Celebrations
Coping With Holiday Stress: 11 Parenting Tips
How To Survive The Holidays With Teens
Strategies for Managing Holiday Stress – Shrinking It Down Podcast
The Family Dinner Project
Post-COVID Gatherings: Anxiety Dreams and Shaky Starts
How to Handle Holiday Dinners This Year
Making Family Dinner New for the New Year