Blog Posts

Christmas is often portrayed as a season of joy. Twinkling lights, warm gatherings, family traditions, and the sense that everything is supposed to feel magical. But for many people, Christmas also highlights who is missing. It magnifies grief. It brings memories rushing back. And it reminds us that life has changed in ways we never asked for.

Have you ever noticed how quickly your thoughts can take off when you’re anxious? For example, one small worry such as “What if I said the wrong thing?” can turn into “What if they’re upset?”, then “What if I lose the relationship?”. Before you know it, you’re stuck in a loop of imagined outcomes, each one more catastrophic than the last. Your chest tightens, your stomach churns, and your mind races faster than you can keep up.

Every November, we celebrate National Adoption Awareness Month. This is a time to honor the beauty, complexity, and lifelong impact of adoption. It’s a season to recognize the families brought together through adoption, to elevate the voices of adoptees, and to shed light on the realities that often go unspoken.

Grief is an emotion that, at some point, everyone will experience. Grief is an overwhelming emotion that we can experience for many reasons. Of course, the passing of a loved one or pet will be the situation that comes to mind first for many people. However, there are many more reasons why someone can experience grief.

One way to manage anxiety is to think of self-care in terms of the 5 senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. Use the 5-4-3-2-1 activity to bring your attention to the present.