This is how you support the holistic health of your customers through holiday stress and trauma

This is how you support the holistic health of your customers through holiday stress and trauma

The holidays are accompanied by a range of complex emotions and experiences, not always positive.

As a health, wellness and nutrition coach, you have built a relationship with your client. Your services may even represent a pivotal moment in their lives as they learn to prioritize their long-term health and well-being.

Now your customers may feel like they have to sacrifice their well-being during the holidays. This article explains how and why the holidays can be a source of stress for clients and suggests ways you can support them.

What are some common causes of holiday stress?

Some of the most common causes of holiday stress include:

Pressure to make things perfect and magical for others Pressure to buy, spend money, and go into debt Holiday gatherings with family and friends that make you uncomfortable Worries about others' judgment of choices, conditions, and physical appearance Memories of negative experiences The anniversaries of traumatic events in your life

What are trauma versers?

Trauma versaries are the anniversaries of a traumatic event in a person's life. They can trigger deep or difficult emotions. For people whose trauma occurs during the holidays, it can change the way the vacation is experienced. For others, the tradition or expectation of gatherings and events is reminiscent of this time of yeartraumatic experiences.

Traumatic experiences can include, but are not limited to, abuse, neglect, and loss.

There is no set way people respond to trauma. Some people may not want to participate in activities and events that are common during the season. Others may want to keep busy to avoid thinking about it.

As a health, nutrition and fitness coach, you may be a trusted ally to your client and one who has supported them through all stages of changedimensions of their well-being.

Mental Health Advocate Alexandria L. suggests three ways people can overcome trauma.

Make you feel safe: Take actions and make decisions that help you feel safe and protected. Sometimes that means saying no to traditional holiday gatherings. Give yourself space: It's important to feel your feelings and express yourself in a safe environment. Treat Yourself: In the hustle and bustle of the holidays (or life in general), it can be difficult to find time for yourself. While staying busy can distract you, it can also make you more stressed and make you feel unprepared for memories of traumatic events. Take time to care for yourself and do things that make you feel loved, important, healthy, and rested.

People who have experienced trauma are likely to benefit from therapy. If appropriate, you can help your client find psychological services to complement their healing journey.

5 ways to help clients manage or avoid stressful situations around the holidays

Provide your clients with a safe space to discuss aspects of the season that cause them stress

When you ask your customer, “Are you ready for the holidays?” and their reaction is less than excited, consider making yourself available to listen, even if they don't feel like it at the moment. You can ask them if they want to talk about it, and if so, let them lead the conversation. If they don't want to talk about it, you can tell them that if they change their mind, you're happy to take some time at the next session.

Use active listening and open body language while they speak. You can show them that you are listening by summarizing what they say. It might sound something like this: "I hear you saying that you are nervous about your family judging your decision to quit drinking. That must be hard knowing that you may have to defend your lifestyle choices."

Sometimes taking time during the session to create a safe space for clients to express their feelings can make all the difference.

Suggest starting new holiday traditions

For some people it is important to preserve and preserve traditions. The holidays are surrounded by countless national, religious and family traditions. Sometimes traditions are maintained even if they no longer resonate with those who represent them.

It is normal for situations, people, values ​​and family dynamics to change. When traditions are no longer enveloped in desirable feelings and experiences, it may be time to make some changes to the tradition or even make new ones.

You can ask your client what they would like to do instead and share ideas about what that would look like and whether they think it's possible.

Remind them that their health and well-being are critically important, and when they are ready, they can make changes with their own traditions to protect and promote their well-being.

Help them recognize gaslighting and discouraging comments

Gaslighting is a type of emotional and psychological abuse that causes you to question your experiences and your view of reality. It is a type of manipulation that can make you feel like you don't understand or imagine things. Gaslighting can also cause you to suppress your feelings or lie about experiences to fit what is socially acceptable.

Some Signs of gaslighting contain:

Refusing to listen to you Lying to make you question your version of events Questioning your memory of your version of events Denying that they ever said or did something that you knew they had Shifting the topic of conversation to divert attention from the topic Minimizing and event or experience to make you feel unimportant. They may accuse you of being too sensitive or overreacting.

Gaslighting is behavior that makes a person feel devalued, unworthy, or discouraged. Healthy interactions and relationships should be respectful and supportive. Knowing what gaslighting is will help your customers identify it. Whether they say it or not, seeing the signs can help them withdraw from the situation and see it as a form of manipulation by the other person rather than a genuine criticism of their experiences and feelings.

Tell them about self-regulation techniques

If your client is caught up in the moment and is stressed, out of breath, restless, anxious, or has a strong desire to switch off, learning self-regulation techniques can help avoid a cascade of negative interactions and events.

Self-regulation is the ability to monitor and control your emotions, thoughts, behaviors, and energy states to achieve positive results, such as: B. calm feelings, productivity, well-being and learning.

Some self-regulation techniques include:

Practice responses to stressful scenarios

Your customer may be anxious about the holidays when they expect unpleasant conversations and interactions with others. Some potentially anxiety-inducing scenarios include:

Comments on weight, height, and general appearance (Wow, we've gotten rounder, haven't we? Do you really need the second helping? You look so thin! You really should eat more.) Criticism of food and lifestyle choices (What do you mean you don't eat meat? Why do you eat that if you're a health coach? I can't believe you still do that! It's so bad for you!) Comments on parenting decisions (Why are bottle feeding/breastfeeding? Bottle feeding/breastfeeding is so much better! Isn't your child too old to breastfeed? Shouldn't your child eat more/less? You need to learn to control your child!) Relationship status and decisions (When are you bringing a significant other? What have you done to scare away so-and-so? When are you going to settle down? When are you going to give me grandchildren?) Comments that bring up past traumas (Two years ago, this was the worst Christmas ever. Remember how Uncle George did these strange ones? did things before?)

People are usually caught off guard when asked these questions, and most people aren't willing to answer in a way that makes them feel better.

You can model and practice what your customer can do and how they can respond to these rude and unpleasant comments. You can ask them if they feel more comfortable:

Set a boundary (Thanks for your concern, but we don't talk about weight or height in our house.) Have a conversation about the topic (Actually, fruit cake can be a perfect addition to a balanced diet.) Redirect the conversation (I prefer not to talk about it right now. But let's talk about our favorite holiday movies!)

After offering your client a few ways to respond, you can suggest to your client how they can practice responding with you. If a person makes rude or uncomfortable comments after practicing, they will be prepared and have a response ready to alleviate some of the anxiety.

Main takeaways

This article discusses how the holidays can be a time of stress and anxiety for you and your customers. It explains how memories of trauma can be a cause of this stress and how you can take care of yourself after a trauma episode. It also details five ways you can help your client manage and manage the stress and anxiety that can build up over the holiday season.

Although this information may be useful to your clients, you may find that it can help you manage your own stress and anxiety. Implementing these suggestions yourself will help you not only care for your own health and well-being, but also build a sense of empathy when supporting your customers.

References:

https://www.softpathhealing.com/writing/what-is-a-traumaversary
https://medium.com/the-sidebar/getting-through-a-traumaversary-a2b2a0388ad9
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0003122419874843
https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/gaslighting-signs-look-for
https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/behavioral-health-partners/bhp-blog/april-2018/5-4-3-2-1-coping-technique-for-anxiety.aspx
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