Last week's Recalculating Route Show had some excellent points from guests Gina Rossi and Sarah Whitten-Grigsby.
A few that stood out to me are:
Give yourself time to process grief on your own schedule. You don't have to follow anyone else's timeline.
Don't force those who are going through grief to celebrate in your preferred way. Recognize and respect their privacy and preferences.
Bring small remembrances of those you are missing into your holiday traditions to honor them and keep them in your thoughts in a positive way.
Make sure you have some back-up support. Tell your friends to be on alert for your call if you need a boost.
Be available for others who are going through grief, depression, or loneliness this holiday season.
Check on those you haven't spoken to in a while and watch for depressed messages on social media that signal someone could use your outreach.
Volunteering to help others can be a mood booster because it gets you outside of your introspection and focused on others.
And the final summary of what I learned in this webinar: Cry when you need to. Laugh when you really feel like it. And realize that you are not alone.
Anniversary/holiday depression is a widely shared experience. Give yourself some grace to get through it and don't be hesitant to ask for help. You'll be surprised at how many people will recognize and relate to what you're going through and will be wonderful shoulders for support until your sun shines more brightly again.
If you'd like to hear the rest of their suggestions, here's the link to the full show: https://youtu.be/Bf1NuxNUr48
Here's the document referenced during the program with free resources that can help.