Tips to Help You Get Through the Holidays
Article by Caylor Roling
Since this issue of Justice Matters is our last of 2009, we thought it would be helpful to share some tips on ways to get through the holidays. For many of our members, and for many people in general, the winter holiday season is a time when people suffer more from depression and anxiety. We wish a bright and happy season for you and your family, but if the days aren’t feeling too merry, we’ve put together a list of suggestions to help you get through the next few months.
1. You don’t have to celebrate the holidays. At a transition fair, we asked people in prison for their suggestions for getting through the holidays. Many people commented that they didn’t do holidays in prison.
2. Keep your expectations for the holiday season manageable. Don’t put the entire focus on just one day.
3. Remember the reason for the season. The holiday season celebrates many different traditions – from Hanukah, to Christmas, to Kwanzaa, to the Winter Solstice. Take advantage of this season to remember its meaning and importance in your life.
4. Remember the holiday season does not banish reasons for feeling sad or lonely. There is room for these feelings to be present, even if a person chooses not to express them openly.
5. Leave what’s past in the past, and look to the future. Don’t set yourself up for disappointment by comparing today with the “good old days.” Think about goals for the coming year.
6. Do something for someone else. Reaching out to others is one way to honor the intent of the holidays and helps lift holiday depression.
7. Try something new. Create a new tradition. Celebrate the holidays in a new way.
8. Spend time, if you can, with supportive and caring people. Reach out and make new friends, or contact someone you have not heard from for a while.
9. Attend a meeting. Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous hold meetings during the holidays.
10. Communicate with your friends and family. A letter or phone call to distant relatives and family will brighten both your days. Send holiday photos. Oregon prisons offer video messages at a cost.
11. Check the weather. Lack of sunlight can cause depression. This condition can be common in the short, cloudy days of the Northwest winters. If you are able, get outside as much as possible. Even the little bit of sunlight you get on cloudy days is enough to help.
12. Connect people you know to a support group. Oregon CURE organizes support groups in Oregon for family members of incarcerated people.
We’ve edited this list for our readers, but the original list came from How to Cope with Holiday Stress and Depression in Prison from http://www.wikihow.com/Cope-With-Holiday-Stress-and-Depression-in-Prison .
Here are some ideas from former and current prisoners:
“When I was in prison, I just didn’t celebrate the holidays and I did so much time that learning how to practice the holidays in the community is a lot of effort. A lot of the holidays I still don’t do. I do the big ones for my son and family, but I focus on the recovery birthdays for the people that are close to me rather than community holidays.”
“I try to connect with everyone during the holidays with a Christmas letter. I send it to everyone. I correspond with telling them what happened throughout the year – a parole hearing, a new baby in the family, an accomplishment, maybe even goals for the coming year. I try to include a personal comment for each person, letting them know they are important to me and I miss them, and wishing them a great holiday and new year.”
For more information or resources:
CURE (Citizens United for the Rehabilitation of Errants) is a national criminal justice reform organization with chapters in many states.
Oregon CURE
1631 NE Broadway, #460
Portland, OR 97232
www.oregoncure.org
1-866-357-2873
You can find information about other state chapters on the national CURE website: www.curenational.org.
This article originally appeared in the Fall 2009 issue of Justice Matters.
