If Christmas Isn’t Very Merry: A Salt Lake City Therapist’s Guide to Surviving the Holidays

It’s the week of Christmas, and maybe you’re feeling some things.

If you’re a woman in Salt Lake City, the holidays can bring up a mix of emotion: excitement, pressure, grief, overwhelm, or a quiet sense of dread you can’t quite name. Maybe you’re counting down the days until Christmas, or maybe you’re counting down until it’s over.

Whatever you’re feeling this season, you’re not alone and it makes sense.

As someone who provides anxiety therapy in Salt Lake City, Utah, I see how often this season amplifies stress, sadness, and old emotional wounds for women, even when everything looks “fine” on the outside.

As an Anxiety Therapist in Salt Lake City, I Want You to Know Your Stress Is Valid

Whatever you are feeling, I want you to know it’s valid. If you are feeling increased depression despite everyone else’s happiness and excitement, it’s valid. In fact, it’s you I want to speak to. I want to offer you some tenderness and kindness if this time of year is hard for you.

I set up my Christmas tree really early this year. Like the first week of November early. Last December, I was pretty sick for a good portion of it so Christmas didn’t feel the way it usually felt so I was eager to set it up my tree. It was also my first year of setting up a full Christmas tree in my office so it opened up plenty of conversation about how people feel about Christmas.

You might dread the holidays while everyone else is enjoying them

For some people, the holidays are something to dread. The holidays provoke anxiety, painful memories, and trigger deep sadness. This may be difficult to manage when it seems like everyone else is happy and having a good time. I want you to know you aren’t alone.

Many have shared stories of feeling worthless, unloved, and lonely. Christmas time unleashes some unsettled emotions and experiences. Christmas was where some deeply rooted negative beliefs were born. I want you to know that even if you and I haven’t met yet, I’m thinking of you. I know you are out there, and I know you are struggling. You deserve to feel better and have the kind of holiday you want to have.

Healing those past experiences of pain takes work. Hopefully, you know that’s what therapy can help with and since it takes time, it likely isn’t going to happen in the next few days. I want to invite you to do some things to take care of yourself.

Many of the women I work with in Salt Lake City describe this exact mix of anxiety, sadness, and isolation during the holidays, which is often what brings them to anxiety therapy in Salt Lake City for extra support during this season.

Ways to use self-care during the holidays

1. Take time to relax

   I want you to take some time this week to sit alone in something cozy, with a blanket and maybe a warm drink. Maybe in a rocking chair under a heated blanket or in your pajamas on your closet floor, it really doesn’t matter. I want you to take a few minutes and just breathe. I want to allow you to let your body relax and enjoy a few moments, and realize you are safe. You may want to take some time and journal how you feel. I want you to offer yourself some kindness for however it is you feel. You aren’t trying to change how you feel but to just notice without judgment. If you need to cry, allow yourself to do so. If you feel angry, allow yourself to be. Wherever you are, honor it.

2. Treat yourself

   You may be thinking of the perfect gift to buy for the people in your life. I understand it’s who you are to be thoughtful of other people and want to get it just right. This also may be a time to gift yourself something during an emotionally challenging time. Maybe cheap socks from Target or a cozy blanket from Costco. Can you tell me where I shop at this point? It doesn’t need to be expensive or fancy, although I’m not stopping you if you decide to do that! Whatever you decide to get for yourself, let it be symbolic that your needs are just as important as everyone else you’re thinking of and putting thoughts into.

3. Take time to check in with someone you trust

   Whether this is your therapist, friend or a family member, it may be helpful to check in with someone you can trust. Find someone you know you can be open with and who will be supportive of you. This may be a good opportunity to share more about what you are struggling with and describe what you need from them. You can ask if they can provide you with support and set up a specific time to check in. Sometimes it’s helpful just to know someone else knows you’re struggling, and you can be open and honest with what you are struggling with. You are a human and need support and kindness from others. This doesn’t mean you’re weak. It means you’re trying to take care of yourself.

4. Spend sometime outside

   I know, I know, it’s freezing weather outside in the state of Utah. It is not lost on me that it can be uncomfortable to spend lengthy periods of time outside in December. You don’t need to hike Dominguez Hill this winter, but taking just a few moments to stand outside and take a few deep breaths can be helpful. You can briefly walk your dog around the neighborhood in the warmest part of the day or stand on your back porch and look at the night sky for even one minute. Slowing down your breathing in the fresh air can reduce anxiety a titch. The change of temperature is also a grounding skill if you feel overwhelmed in a social setting.

Take care of yourself and remember to offer yourself the kindness and compassion you would to other people.

I hope when you are ready, you’ll come to therapy. I want you to be able to work through those negative beliefs and painful experiences that have bubbled up this time of year. When women come to counseling feeling like you do and are dealing with anxiety and trauma, I always recommend using EMDR. I want to give you hope and believe that you will feel better regardless of your struggles.

Anxiety Therapy for Women in Salt Lake City During the Holidays

If you’re a woman in Salt Lake City who finds the holidays emotionally heavy—filled with anxiety, sadness, or old memories that resurface every year, therapy can be a place to slow down and feel supported. Many women I work with come to therapy during this season because holding it together suddenly feels harder, even when nothing looks “wrong” from the outside. Anxiety therapy isn’t about forcing holiday cheer or fixing yourself; it’s about having a space where your experience is taken seriously and where you don’t have to minimize how hard this time of year can be.

Anxiety Therapy for Women in Salt Lake City

If you’re a woman in Salt Lake City feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or emotionally exhausted during the holidays, therapy can help. Many women reach out this time of year when stress, grief, or old memories feel harder to manage alone. Anxiety therapy offers a place to talk openly about what’s coming up and to feel supported without having to minimize or push through how hard this season can be.

1. Schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation

2. Meet with a therapist for anxiety

3. Start finding relief from anxiety

Online Anxiety Therapy for Women Across Utah

I know you are busy, and finding time to attend another appointment is hard. When you have anxiety, it’s difficult to think about finding the right place to go for an appointment, and sometimes it prevents you from reaching out for help. This is why I provide online therapy in Utah. Anxiety treatment online is just as effective as in-person therapy.

While my practice serves women in Salt Lake City, I also offer online anxiety therapy to women throughout Utah.

Other mental health services provided by Maple Canyon Therapy

Maple Canyon Therapy provides therapy for women in Salt Lake City, Utah, Other mental health services provided by Maple Canyon Therapy include eating disorder therapy, binge eating disorder treatment, body image therapy, trauma therapy, and birth trauma.