“… It’s clear that struggle doesn’t take off for the holidays. The gremlins don’t go on vacation. Checks bounce, chemotherapy appointments are scheduled, relationships keep unraveling, being alone feels even lonelier, and the “never enoughs” are in full swing.” In a 2015 Facebook post, Brené Brown, a research professor at the University of Houston and a well-known author, describes an unavoidable truth about the holidays. She goes on to share her strategy for navigating that truth. “As I prepare to spend the nextfew days with my family and friends, I’ve decided to nd my holiday magicin the mess; to practice love and gratitude with the special group of folks who keep showing up and loving me, not despite my vulnerabilities, but because of them.”

Stress during the holidays

While the holidays can fill our lives with joy, they can also lead to feelings of anxiety, sadness, anger and other difficult emotions. In a 2015 Healthlinesurvey, over 60% of adults across all age groups reported feeling stressed over the holidays. Time, expectations, relationships can all contribute to
the increased stress that, in turn, contributes to mixed emotions during the “happiest time of the year.”

Emotional intelligence

Brené Brown, known for her research and writing about vulnerability, taps into emotional intelligence to manage the challenges of the holidays. Emotional intelligence, brought to attention in 1995 by Daniel Goleman, is the ability to identify and manage emotions. Emotional intelligence is not a personality trait, but a skill we can develop to help manage the holidays.

Be aware of yourself

Emotionally intelligent people practice self-awareness and self-regulation. During the holidays, allow yourself time to feel your emotions, all the good, all the bad. Like Morrie Schwartz, from Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays withMorrie says, pull them on “like a familiar shirt.” Notice the butter ies inyour stomach or the tension in your neck. Experience it without judgmentor a need to x it. Use relaxation and calming strategies such as deepbreathing and grounding as you try to identify the emotion and understand its meaning.

Be aware of others

The ability to extend awareness and regulation to others is another skill of emotional intelligence. Pay attention to the emotional experience of those around you. Use empathy to try to understand how they are feeling and consider multiple perspectives. Offer grace and forgiveness. Co-regulate. Co-regulation simply means to manage your emotions together with another. Often when a loved one is upset, our emotions escalate as well, leading to tension, arguments, stress, and misunderstanding. Remaining calm in the midst of another’s emotional distress, allows us to create asupportive environment that can help de-escalate the dif cult emotion.

Focused on goals, flexible on means

Through it all, keep your goals in mind. An important part of emotional intelligence is knowing your motivation and remaining hopeful in its pursuit. If something is causing you stress, ask yourself ‘Why that thing is important. Is there another way to accomplish the same goal with less stress? Would scheduling the large family to get together on a day other than the actual holiday allow the whole family to be together and relieve the tension of having to split time? Could sending a Valentine’s letter rather than a Christmas letter still enable you to share family updates but relieve the holiday time pressure? How could you rethink gift-giving in a way that would allow the joy of giving without financial stress or having to fight holiday crowds?’

Develop your emotional intelligence

Finally, emotional intelligence is a skill we can build, and the best time
to do that is when you are under less stress. After the holidays, take time
to revisit your emotional experience. When did you feel the happiest, andwhat brought you joy? When you experienced dif cult emotions, what werethey? Explore their origin and meaning. What do you think you might do differently next time? Think about times you were able to regulate and co- regulate well. What helped you do that, and how could you use those skillsto manage dif cult situations in the future.

The struggle doesn’t take off for the holidays, but like Brené Brown, we can find magic in the mess by tapping into our emotional intelligence. As Morrie Schwartz would say, “the most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love and let it come in.”