Holding Space for Both Gratitude and Grief This Holiday Season
The holidays have a way of amplifying what’s present in our lives the warmth of connection, the ache of absence, the tension between joy and heaviness. We’re told this season is about gratitude, but what if thankfulness feels complicated right now?
The truth is, gratitude and grief can coexist. You can be thankful for what remains while still mourning what’s changed. You can laugh with loved ones and still feel the pull of sadness in the same breath. This duality doesn’t mean you’re ungrateful it means you’re human.
Holding space for both emotions is an act of emotional honesty. It’s allowing yourself to exist fully, without forcing light where shadow also belongs. Instead of choosing one over the other, let both have room. Let gratitude remind you of the good that still exists, and let grief honor the love and meaning behind what’s been lost.
This holiday season, consider giving yourself permission to:
Pause before pretending. You don’t have to perform joy to belong.
Name what you miss. Speaking it aloud can make space for healing.
Lean into presence. Gratitude doesn’t erase grief, but it can gently hold it.
Both emotions can teach us something gratitude grounds us in what is, and grief reminds us of what once was. Together, they help us move through the holidays with more compassion, grace, and truth.
So as the year winds down, take a deep breath. There is room for both gratitude and grief in the same heart. You don’t have to choose.
If this season feels heavier than usual, you don’t have to navigate it alone. Our therapists at En Touch Counseling are here to help you process, reflect, and find peace in the middle of it all.
💌 Reach out today to get matched with a therapist who will hold space for both your gratitude and your grief.