Balancing Joy and Grief During the Holidays

Key points

Holidays can intensify feelings of grief, especially when the loss is ambiguous.

Naming and acknowledging your feelings can help you learn to let grief and joy coexist.

Allowing space for grief and moments of connection while offering yourself kindness can help reduce stress.

Setting boundaries, self-compassion, and creating personal rituals can support you during the holidays.

Sadness during the holidays Source: antoniodiaz/Shutterstock

People often think of holidays as joyful, but for many, this time of year can make grief feel even stronger. This can occur, for instance, when someone is suffering from ambiguous loss — a kind of pain that happens when someone is present but emotionally or cognitively distant, like with dementia or estrangement. This grief can fee