The holidays can be a stressful time of year. Those with neurodivergence can experience even more stress than the neurotypical individual during this season. We are Kate Deitzer and Missy Shaw of Social Connections, located in Cool Springs, Tennessee. Our services are offered to those in the surrounding areas through in-person or video meetings. The majority of our clients are young adults, ages 16 and up, with neurodivergence or developmental delays. We help our clients navigate the adult world by creating strategies, skills, and tools to increase their confidence. The areas of concentration are communication, social skills, job acquisition and retention, dating (sex education), self-care, self-determination, self-advocacy, internet usage, and parental/caretaker support.
The focus for this article is finding more enjoyment during the busy, hectic holiday season. The following tips will help create a more joyful and satisfying holiday season.
- Tip One: Keep a daily written schedule and share it with the whole family. This schedule can be on paper or digital. It provides predictability and comfort in knowing what to expect, where to be, and who will be involved.
- Tip Two: Use the chunking method to help lower the opportunity of getting overwhelmed with all that has to be done during this season. Chunking might look like getting the decorations out one day, decorating the tree the next day, and then decorating the rest of the house on the third day.
- Tip Three: Keep things simple. Simple means consider simple food, activities, the number of gifts to open, and the number of people attending events. This simplicity will make the holidays more manageable.
- Tip Four: Use gift bags instead of wrapping each gift to help eliminate frustrating steps. This also prevents less clean-up and later organization of boxes and bows for storage.
- Tip Five: Get out in nature. Nature can provide fresh air, open space, exercise, and healthy activities. Nature is also great to lower the feelings of being overwhelmed and overstimulated by loud sounds and bright lights.
- Tip Six: Plan for down time. Down time here needs to be of the individuals choosing. This time can be an activity of special interest, a nap, watching a movie, playing a video game or listening to music.
- Tip Seven: Be flexible and ready to adjust when needed. This is important because things for a neurodivergent individual can change emotionally in a brief second and they need to know they can change their mind and shift to something or somewhere new.
More importantly, remember that the holidays are designed to enjoy time together with family and friends.
Happy Holidays from Social Connections.