How to Cope With Anxiety During the Holidays — Especially If You’re Living Abroad

The Holidays Can Feel Heavy When You’re Far From Home

While many people associate the holidays with warmth, gathering, and celebration, this time of year can feel unexpectedly heavy for those living abroad.
If you're an expat, international student, or simply building a life far from your familiar support system, the season can awaken emotions you didn’t expect—loneliness, anxiety, guilt, pressure, or a sense of being “in between” worlds.

The truth is this:
Holiday anxiety is normal.
Holiday anxiety as an expat is even more normal.

You’re not doing anything wrong. You’re not failing.
You are human, adapting to a very complex experience.

Why Holiday Anxiety Hits Harder When You’re Abroad

1. Distance from family and tradition

You might miss the small rituals you never noticed before—your mother’s cooking, conversations in your language, the sound of familiar places, or simply knowing you belong somewhere without effort.

2. Social pressure to be joyful

When everyone around you is celebrating, posting pictures, and planning gatherings, it can feel isolating if your emotional reality doesn’t match that atmosphere.

3. The weight of comparisons

Comparing your current life to past holidays (or to other people’s lives online) can increase the intensity of anxiety.

4. A sense of disconnection

You may feel like you don’t fully belong in the country you live in, but also not fully at home anymore.
This “in-betweenness” is one of the most common emotional experiences expats face.

5. Increased emotional triggers

Silence, memories, cold weather, or long evenings can all activate deeper layers of anxiety or loneliness that go unnoticed during the rest of the year.

Signs You May Be Experiencing Holiday Anxiety

Holiday anxiety doesn’t always look dramatic.
Often, it shows up quietly:

• feeling emotionally flat

• trouble sleeping

• heaviness in the chest

• irritability

• difficulty focusing

• sadness or unexpected crying

• replaying old memories

• the sense that “something is wrong with me”

These feelings are normal responses to emotional overload and seasonal triggers—especially when you’re navigating life in a foreign environment.

What You Can Do to Support Yourself This Season

1. Create your own version of “home”

You don’t need a full celebration to feel grounded.
Light a candle, make your childhood comfort meal, play music from home, or decorate your space in a way that feels warm.
Small rituals can be powerful.

2. Stay connected, even in small ways

A five-minute call, a voice message, or sending a photo to a friend can remind you that you’re not alone.
Connection doesn’t need to be perfect to be meaningful.

3. Limit the emotional overload

If social media makes you feel worse, reduce your screen time.
Your nervous system doesn’t need constant reminders of what you’re “missing.”

4. Give yourself permission to feel exactly how you feel

You don’t need to be cheerful just because it’s December.
Let your emotions be honest—without judgment.

5. Plan something meaningful for yourself

Treat yourself to something small but comforting—a walk through the city lights, journaling in a café, a cozy night with a movie you love.
Meaning doesn’t always come from big celebrations.

6. Reach out for support if you need it

Sometimes the holidays simply bring too much to the surface.
Talking to a therapist can help you explore the deeper layers:

• Why does this season feel harder?

• What emotions were triggered?

• What do you need right now but aren’t giving yourself?

Support is not a luxury—it’s a lifeline.

You’re Not Alone in This Experience

Feeling anxious, lonely, or overwhelmed during the holidays doesn’t mean you’re weak.
It means you’re adjusting, grieving, remembering, rebuilding, and learning how to belong in a new world.

Your emotions are valid.
Your experience matters.
And with the right support, this season can become gentler—more grounded, less overwhelming, and a reminder of how resilient you truly are.

If this season feels heavy, you don’t have to navigate it alone.

If you're noticing anxiety, sadness, or emotional overload during this time, therapy can help you find clarity, grounding, and comfort.
You can book a session with me right through my website.

You deserve support—especially now.