Coping with Grief at the Holidays

The holidays are supposed to feel warm and joyful, but if you’re grieving, this time of year can feel heavy, lonely, and confusing. You may find yourself wishing you could skip the season altogether or maybe you’re caught between wanting to participate and feeling guilty for having any moments of happiness.

Nothing about this is your fault. Grief has its own rhythm and it doesn’t follow the calendar. And when you’re already someone who tries to hold everything together, the weight of grief during the holidays can feel even more intense. Therapy can help you move through this season with more compassion, intention, and emotional support.

Why the Holidays Can Amplify Grief

The holidays tend to bring memories to the surface, even the ones you thought had softened over time. Rituals, songs, smells, old photos, empty chairs at the table. All of these things can bring up waves of sadness or longing.

There’s also the pressure to feel cheerful around others. That pressure alone can make grief feel sharper. When everyone else seems to be celebrating, your pain can feel even more isolating.

Many women describe this season as a tug-of-war between wanting to honor the person they lost and trying to keep up with expectations. You might feel overwhelmed, irritable, exhausted, or unsure of how to show up. These reactions are normal. Grief tends to be louder during the holidays because our emotional landscape is already tender.

Healthy Ways to Honor and Remember Loved Ones

There is no correct way to grieve. There is only your way. If the holidays are bringing up a lot for you, here are a few gentle practices that can help you feel more connected and grounded:

• Create a new tradition that honors your loved one’s presence.
• Light a candle at a specific time each day or on the holiday itself.
• Write a letter to them about what you miss and what you wish they knew.
• Make a special recipe they loved or keep an item that reminds you of them nearby.
• Dedicate a quiet moment for reflection, prayer, or simply breathing.
• Share stories with people who understand your loss.
• Give yourself permission to step back from traditions that don’t feel aligned this year.

Grief is not about doing things perfectly. It is about staying connected to what feels meaningful and allowing your heart to feel whatever comes up.

How Therapy Can Support You Through the Season

Therapy creates space to talk through the parts of grief you often carry alone. You can slow down, name what hurts, and understand the layers beneath your emotional reactions. For many women, especially high achievers who tend to push through hard moments, having a place to process grief without judgment is deeply healing.

Therapy gives you dedicated time to explore memories, release emotional tension, and build tools that help you move through the season with more steadiness. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by unexpected waves of grief, you walk in with clarity, support, and a plan for taking care of yourself.

You deserve to feel supported, not alone, while navigating something as personal and profound as loss.

Get in Touch for Grief Support

If this holiday season is bringing up more emotions than you expected, you don’t have to carry it by yourself. Therapy can help you feel more grounded, comforted, and supported as you move through grief at your own pace.

If you live in Virginia, Florida, Missouri, or Mississippi, contact us today to get started and give yourself the space you need to heal through this season.

Margaux Flood, LCSW, is a licensed therapist with over a decade of experience supporting clients in Virginia and Florida. She specializes in couples therapy, women’s mental health, anxiety, and self-esteem, using evidence-based approaches like Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), mindfulness-based techniques, and attachment-focused interventions to help clients strengthen connection, build confidence, and feel more grounded in themselves and their relationships. , Margaux Flood, LCSW is committed to providing compassionate, expert virtual care for clients across Virginia and Florida. Her team also provides individual psychotherapy services across the states of Mississippi and Missouri.