In the past, we’ve shared advice on how to navigate the holiday season for going to family gatherings with people who might not necessarily understand having a body-focused repetitive behaviour. Many of us have been in the position where the family member has made a comment about how picking, pulling, or biting, or even the way we’re coping with those behaviours, whether it’s by wearing certain clothing or having something like a fidget on hand. But this year, it’s important to look at things a little differently.

The pandemic that hit the globe earlier this year has meant unprecedented isolation for a lot of people, and come the holiday season, that isolation might be a challenge to deal with. Regardless of how often we see our families throughout a given year, the holidays are used as a time to gather, and depending on the regulations in place for your area or the risk factors for yourself or family members, that may not happen this year.

That isolation can be difficult to deal with when you’re accustomed to spending time with loved ones. If you are feeling negative mental impacts of that isolation this holiday season, that could potentially lead to an increase in your BFRB either because your mind is trying to alleviate the boredom or cope with the negative feelings. Whichever the case may be, here are some tips for dealing with feelings of isolation this holiday season.

1. Take part in a virtual get together. With the pandemic and social distancing, video calls and meetings have flourished. Why not take advantage of the same technology to get together virtually with family or friends during the holidays?
2. Keep in touch with friends and family. If a virtual get together doesn’t quite work for you, texting, chatting, or calling your friends and family are still options.
3. Put together a coping toolkit. Maybe communication isn’t available for some reason. In those cases, consider a BFRB coping toolkit. CBSN has a guide for creating this kind of kit to deal with different BFRB triggers, such as boredom and negative feelings in general. Check it out here: How to Cope with BFRB Triggers

Obviously this list isn’t all encompassing, but we can benefit from each other’s ideas. Leave a comment on this blog or share in support groups the ideas you have for dealing with feelings of isolation this holiday season. The BFRB community is fantastic for sharing tips and tricks, and ones for this kind of situation don’t have to be any different.

At the end of the day, though, know this: your struggles and your feelings are valid. If you’re struggling with feelings of isolation or for any other reason this holiday season, that’s no reason for shame. Taking time to process these feelings is okay, too. We see you and we’re here for you.

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Photo by Matthew Henry from Burst.