When Small Moments Stir Big Feelings: Navigating Holiday Emotions
Those tricky holiday emotions can present themselves in small packages too. Have you ever found yourself pinged by something small, and wondered why you were impacted?
(from an email I wrote Tuesday morning)
This morning, I woke up feeling mostly recovered from a tricky evening. While it’s fresh on my mind, I wanted to share what happened—not because it’s a dramatic “can you believe this?” story, but precisely because it’s not.
Sometimes, it’s the smaller moments—the ones that almost feel like they shouldn’t count—that can catch us off guard. We might even shame ourselves for being impacted and try to shove those feelings down. But I’ve found that acknowledging these subtle experiences often creates opportunities for healing.
Perhaps you’ve felt this way too?
Here’s What Happened
A dear friend of mine, who is a talented and esteemed transformational coach, was hosting a workshop yesterday afternoon and invited me as her guest. It was wonderfully done (she’s really good at what she does), but I found that parts of me were stirred up after spending 2-hours with folks that describe holidays like those movies and songs that sing of “the most wonderful time of the year”.
Yes, these folks also have their challenges—they’re living human lives, after all. But I was struck by the contrast between their experiences and the conversations I have with folks in our workshops—or even the recent conversation I had with Dr. Taylor Damiani as she was interviewing me for next week’s Cycle Breakers Summit.
Analogy
I’m working on an analogy here, and I’d love to know if it resonates with you. Imagine the holiday season as the “rainy season.” Over the cycles of my healing journey, my tools have included umbrellas, rain gear, and sometimes choosing not to go out into the rain at all. Through remothering work, I’ve even learned to surf rainbows, transforming certain situations.
But the folks at yesterday’s workshop seemed to live in a completely different climate—one where the holiday season is all blue skies and sunshine.
Remothering Moment
I’m so grateful for the remothering tools because when experiences like this stir up feelings within my inner community, I can be there for myself to soothe them. I hold myself in warm regard and say to my stirred-up parts:
“I’ve got you. I totally get why it’s hard to be reminded of what might have been but never was.”
I allow myself to surf the complex grief of what never was, greet those feelings as valid, and support my inner community as those feelings and sensations rise and crest like waves. And, when I can “remember to remember”, I aim to appreciate the healing potential in these bottom drawer encounters.
The Hope
There was a time when I believed that if I did my healing “right,” I wouldn’t encounter these bottom drawer encounters. Now, I appreciate that thanks to the remothering work, they come less often, are generally less intense, and the recovery is measured in minutes or hours rather than days or weeks.
While I don’t have any magic fairy dust to sprinkle (though a part of me wishes I did!), I do have tools I can share—and keep sharing—that I hope may ease the journey for each and every one of us. (resources below)
May the harmony we are learning to cultivate between our own two ears ripple out into the world in positive and meaningful ways.
Wishing you inner harmony and moments of ease this holiday season.
From my heart to yours.
your guide, coach, and fellow-traveler on the remothering journey,
Simona
Related Articles
- Transforming Holiday Guilt
Turning Emotional Triggers into Inner Connection (aka: ‘bottom drawer encounters’) - Guided Meditation for Stress Relief and Emotional Well-Being
Finding Moments of Ease Amidst November’s Swirl - Finding Calm in Chaos
How Resilience Anchoring Can Help You Stay Grounded
Additional Support & Resources
for the Remothering Journey
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Remothering, Workshops
