So you’ve made it through Thanksgiving. For an introvert, no easy feat. It was loud. It was messy. It was sensory overload! Aunt Gertrude told the same story for the millionth time and you laughed like it was the first time you’d ever heard it. Your sister, who seems to be immune to the sound of banshees wailing, let her three darling children run amok while you pretended not to notice. You deserve a pat on the back. Well done, you!
But wait. There’s more. That’s right, winter is coming, and it’s bringing the whole family.
Whether you consider yourself an introvert, an empath, or just a sensitive person, the holidays can be tough, if not downright miserable. Fear not, quiet-loving friends, we’ve got just the remedy.
1. Make the emergency grocery runs. If you realize you’re suddenly out of butter, offer to go to the grocery to pick it up. The store may be hectic, but the trip to and fro in your quiet car could be enough of a reprise to get you back on your feet.
2. Offer to do the dishes. Kick all of the aunties out of the kitchen and tell them you’d like to take over with the cleaning. They can take their coffee and chitchat to the other room and you can get some much-needed alone time. Plus, once you get in the groove, washing dishes can be meditative. As you rinse the dishes, imagine that you, too, are getting rinsed of excess energy and negativity. Let it trickle down the drain.
3. Take a break. If your get-together spans several days, plan to take a few mini breaks throughout the holiday. Take a long bath. Go see a movie. Go to bed early and curl up with a good book. It’s not selfish to take good care of yourself.
4. Take the trash out, and while you’re at it, go for a little stroll. No one will notice that you’re gone for the amount of time it takes you to walk around the block. With each breath, imagine you’re blowing out your frustrations and anxieties. With each step, imagine that you’re drawing grounding energy up from the earth.
5. If you mean “no”, say “no”. You don’t have to host dinner if you don’t want to. You don’t have to travel if you don’t want to. “No.” is a complete sentence all on its own. You don’t owe any explanations.
6. Plan a reward for yourself after the holidays are over- something decadent to look forward to. We recommend a massage!
To any extroverts reading, we don’t mean to leave you out. This is your time to shine! We appreciate the vibration that you bring. We thank you for being the social glue that keeps us all united. Pass the eggnog, social butterfly.
No matter what your holiday plans, we hope you have a good one. Remember that this is a season of light. Our wish for you is that every shimmering light on your path will fill your heart, even in the darkest of crevices, with joy. Happy holidays!
