🎄 Navigating Grief and Sobriety at Christmas.

The Christmas season can intensify the pain of loss and amplify relapse risks for those in recovery. My blended approach integrates essential recovery strategies with therapeutic methods focusing on feeling the pain, using metaphor, and consciously "returning to love."

Embrace and Process the Full Depth of Loss

The core challenge of sobriety meeting grief is the loss of numbing mechanisms. Your goal is to navigate the pain without self-medicating.

Feel the Pain, Gently: Avoid suppressing the grief. Acknowledge that the intense sadness or despair is a natural response to a significant loss. Seek professional support to hold a "safe space" for these feelings.

Sit with the Pain Daily (The Hypnotherapy Principle): Intentionally dedicate a short, scheduled time each day to fully press or sit with the pain. This keeps the overwhelming feelings from ambushing you unexpectedly and serves as a vital replacement for numbing.

Utilise Metaphor for Easing Pain: If the pain becomes too overwhelming, use a mental metaphor to contain it temporarily. For example, imagine the pain as a heavy box you can set down for a moment, or a loud song you can turn down to a manageable volume. This allows you to function while recognising the emotion is still present. I'll create a helpful audio for you that'll help you with this.

Shift Focus: The Return to Love

This is the ultimate goal: moving from agonising pain to being able to appreciate the loving memories.

Consciously Return to Love: Start introducing moments where you focus on a beautiful, non-painful memory of the person you lost. In the beginning, this may be difficult, but with practice, you train your mind to associate the loss less with pain and more with gratitude for the relationship.

Rituals of Remembrance: Engage in a daily activity during the holidays specifically designed to remember and honour the loved one.

Creative Expression: Write a letter, look at a photo album, or listen to their favourite song (outside of your "sitting with the pain" time).

 Memorialisation: Light a candle, hang a special ornament, or donate to a charity in their name. These actions create an active, loving connection rather than a passive, painful one.

Fortify Recovery Against Holiday Triggers

The unique stressors of the holidays demand a fortified recovery plan.

 Know Your Christmas Triggers: Identify specific holiday traditions, songs, locations, or family gatherings that are likely to trigger grief, and therefore, relapse.

 Have a Relapse Prevention Plan: Create a clear strategy for moments when unexpected triggers arise. For example have a plan to call a trusted friend, your sponsor, leave a difficult event, or go to a recovery support meetings.

Seek Community and Fight Isolation: The holiday season can be deeply isolating. Attend Community events and recovery meetings if that's your vibe often. Connection and support with people especially those who understand the complex intersection of recovery and pain maybe tough but very helpful.