Why the Holidays Trigger Old Grief (Even If Nothing “Bad” Happened This Year)
No one warns you that grief doesn’t wait for permission.
It shows up when the music starts playing.
When the table feels emptier.
When your body remembers something your mind tried to move past.
And here’s the confusing part:
You can feel grief even when nothing “new” happened this year.
Because grief is seasonal
Your nervous system and subconscious associate this time of year with:
Who used to be here
Who you were back then
What you hoped would be different by now
Your soul remembers patterns. Your body remembers emotions. And December presses play.
Grief Isn’t Always About Loss
Sometimes it’s about:
The version of you who survived something
The family you wished you had
The life you thought you’d be living by now
That’s not weakness.
That’s awareness.
Spiritual Truth (Not the Instagram Quote Version)
Grief doesn’t mean you’re not healed.
It means something meaningful moved through you.
Healing isn’t erasing pain — it’s learning how to hold it without collapsing.
A Gentle Practice for December
Place one hand on your heart.
One on your belly.
And say (out loud if you can):
“I allow what’s here to be here — without judgment.”
That’s regulation.
That’s integration.
That’s real spirituality.
