12/03/2025
The Quiet Struggle: How to Support Someone Who’s Not Feeling Merry This Season
Not everyone feels joy during the holidays. For some, December amplifies grief, loneliness, stress, or memories they’ve tried to move past. And often, the people who are struggling the most are the ones who stay quiet.
If someone in your life seems distant this season, here are a few ways to support them gently and respectfully:
• Notice without pressuring.
A simple “Hey, you’ve been on my mind. How are you feeling today?” goes a long way.
• Avoid telling them to ‘cheer up.’
People don’t need forced positivity—they need presence.
• Offer choices, not expectations.
“Would you like company, or do you need space?”
This removes the pressure to perform.
• Make room for their reality.
Pain doesn’t cancel out gratitude, and gratitude doesn’t erase pain. Both can exist.
• Invite connection in small ways.
A walk, a warm drink, sitting together in silence—these things matter more than big gestures.
You never know whose heart you’re helping hold together during the hardest month of the year.