Beat the holiday blues by connecting with others who experience similar challenges
Free online support groups | Tips and advice | Meaningful goodies
Beat the holiday blues by connecting with others who experience similar challenges.
Free online support groups | Tips and advice | Meaningful goodies
Share your story
Experiencing pain or loneliness? Stress or grief? Your story matters and can inspire connection with others
"Christmas always felt like a foreign object to me. Being raised as a Jew, we’d go to my Christian cousins house in the late morning and open gifts with them. Despite their love and affection, it felt like we were intruding. Being Jewish on a continent that loves Christmas always felt like three weeks of my year were spent pretending to be excited about something that made me feel like an outsider."
Jordhynn Guy
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"Ever since I moved away from home, the holidays have been hard. Even though I celebrate with my new friends, I still feel lonely without my family. I miss the traditions I grew up with and the people that made them. It’s not about the gifts, the food, or the activity, it’s about the people I share those moments with. I’ve been celebrating the holidays with my family since I was born, and despite the joy I experience celebrating with my friends, I can’t help but feel that something is missing."
Julia Altmann
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"Once the divorce was official, we asked the kids to spend one day at each of our houses over the holidays. The hardest part wasn’t that we were divorced – that part was a relief. The hardest part was knowing that, after all those years of being a family and spending a week together during the holidays, now I would get to see my kids and grandkids only for one day. The rest of the holidays I spent wondering what I could have done differently."
Gloria
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"Grief never resolves itself. It comes up in moments when you least expect it – when we’re lighting the candles, or mom takes out their 20th wedding anniversary plate set. We carry grief forward through the holidays and there are moments when it feels lighter. But for the most part, it feels heavy."
Lena
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"After my divorce, Christmas left me feeling even more alone than I’d felt in my marriage. All the commercials, the ads, the neighbors whose homes were lit up with people pouring in day and night… it made me feel like I’d failed to raise a functioning family."
Alexandra
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"Something about the holidays always left me feeling… disappointed. It was like everyone around me was having an amazing time with their families, and me and my brother were stuck in traffic driving between our parents’ houses on either end of Brooklyn, arguing over how hot the car should be."
Sasha
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"After 30 years of marriage, it’s hard to pretend like everything is the same without your partner. Sometimes, on Christmas morning, I’ll go outside and stroll through the empty streets and wonder how I got so lucky to have loved someone so much, and how much I wish I’d known that feeling of togetherness more before this feeling of loneliness sunk in."
Isabel
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"My mom passed when I was young and my dad and I never got along. It’s hard to shake the feeling of loneliness even when friends reach out during the holidays and try to include me in the festivities. It’s not the same as being with family – a family I feel like I never really had."
Kim
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Treat yourself
Inspiring goodies from select brands to clear your mind and boost your mood
Get expert advice
Mental health experts help you navigate the holiday season with insight and guidance
Join Free Holiday Circles:
Join Free Holiday Circles
Safe Spaces for Shared Support
Safe Spaces for Shared Support
When the going gets tough, other people can help you overcome life’s biggest challenges.
Circles is offering 500 support sessions December 24-26 led by professional group facilitators.
Join now to connect with people experiencing similar challenges to yours:
- Free session, no commitment.
- Peers pre-matched for a shared experience and common ground.
- Online – accessible wherever you are.
When the going gets tough, other people can help you overcome life’s biggest challenges.
Circles is offering 500 support sessions from December 24-26 led by professional group facilitators.
Join now to connect with people experiencing similar challenges to yours:
- Free session, no commitment.
- Peers pre-matched for a shared experience and common ground.
- Online – accessible wherever you are.
