Recovery During the Holidays: Healing and Mindfulness
Mindfulness During the Holidays: Why It Matters
Mindfulness during the holidays helped me trade anxiety for presence and begin again.
During this festive time, it is essential to focus on recovery during the holidays, allowing ourselves space to heal and rejuvenate. But my story did not start out like that.
“My palms are sweaty and I toss and turn in bed… It is not the night before Christmas. I am just an average shred monkey waiting for the Northwest to be blessed with that winter wonderland snow.”
I wrote those words years ago, back when life felt lighter. The holidays meant family trips to the mountains, early mornings chasing fresh snow, and laughter echoing off the slopes. Up there, surrounded by tall pines and crisp air, I felt alive. The mountain became my escape, my cathedral, my place to breathe when the rest of the world felt too heavy.
As the holiday season approaches, I have come to realize the importance of embracing recovery during the holidays. It is a time for reflection, healing, and reconnecting with the joy of living.
But life has a way of shifting under your feet. After years of being caught in an abusive relationship, I fell into a darkness that stretched far beyond the winter sky. My drinking, once a social habit, turned into survival. I was drowning silently in pain and shame, hiding behind smiles that did not reach my eyes.
If you are exploring mindfulness during the holidays, you are not alone.
Being a man who had been abused felt like something I could not say out loud, so I stayed quiet. The quiet turned into depression, and the depression turned into numbness. When the holidays came around, the pressure to be fine grew louder. Family gatherings that used to mean laughter now felt like a performance. I smiled for photos, but inside I was lost. The twinkling lights and carols only made the emptiness stand out more.
Recovery did not come like a miracle. It came like slow sunlight creeping through clouds. Through mindfulness, meditation, and the teachings of Buddhism, I learned to stop running from my pain and instead sit with it. I learned that peace is not a finish line, it is a practice. Healing from trauma meant learning how to breathe again, how to listen, and how to forgive myself for surviving the only way I knew how.
These days, when the holidays roll around, I still feel that old anxiety, but I do not let it define me. I focus on the little moments that matter such as my Nanny’s laughter drifting through the kitchen or the quiet peace of a morning cup of coffee when the world is still asleep. I let gratitude be my compass.
Mindfulness During the Holidays: Simple Practices That Help
- Take three quiet breaths before you walk into a room.
- Do a five senses check in to get present.
- Sit for ten minutes in the morning with coffee and no phone.
- Choose one small act of kindness each day of the season.
- Write a 1-sentence gratitude note (text yourself or a friend) before bed.
For additional guidance, the SAMHSA National Helpline offers free, confidential support 24/7.
Holiday Mindfulness – Frequently Asked Questions
How can mindfulness help during holiday stress?
Short pauses, gentle breathing, and present-moment awareness reduce reactivity and support recovery.
What are quick mindfulness practices I can do anywhere?
Three slow breaths before transitions, a five-senses check-in, and a 10-minute morning sit with no phone.
Get Help Today
Foundations to Freedom offers gentle tools for mindfulness during the holidays and recovery support. Call 386-846-7102.
Related resources:
- Read our guide to addiction recovery during the holidays.
- Read our holiday recovery story, From Addiction to Holiday Joy.
About the author
Michael Cerar is a mental health advocate, community builder, and outreach assistant at Foundations to Freedom. His writing blends honesty, humor, and hope, reflecting his personal recovery journey and passion for helping others find peace, purpose, and connection.
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