Six Steps to Mentally Survive the Holidays

“These are usually game-time responses that have to happen,” Ms. Kaufman said. “You can talk to your family, but then you arrive, people are drinking eggnog and slips occur — that’s the insidious nature of bias. So, if a threshold is crossed, take a pause in the moment, step away to regroup, and return as a united front.”

Combat stress with awareness

Ms. Kaufman said family is a main stressor during the holidays.

“Our families are the ones that install our ‘buttons,’ so therefore they know exactly how to push them,” she said. “One thing to keep in mind is that the buttons installed may be a product of a parent’s unresolved psychological issues. It is important to try to understand what feelings feel authentic to you and not take on others’ feelings.”

Wounds are going to be opened, or reopened, so you have to heal those through relaxation techniques, coping skills and a lot of support and love from your chosen family. Who are the individuals in your life that you receive positive support from? “Identify and call on them,” Ms. Ortiz said, “they are your community.”

Adriana Alejandre, the founder of Latinx Therapy, prescribes her clients body scans (a targeted meditation technique). You can also use an app like Calm or breathing techniques.

“Maybe you need to take a deep breath right now,” she said. “Maybe you need to take a walk, or create some space from this person.” If you can’t take space, Mrs. Alejandre suggested finding a point of focus such as your feet to establish a grounding center of attention.

Re-evaluate your relationship with alcohol

For many people, merriment and alcohol have become synonymous. “Our body is constantly trying to seek balance,” said Holly Whitaker, the C.E.O. of Tempest, a digital recovery platform, and the author of the forthcoming book “Quit Like a Woman.” “So, if we’re flooding ourselves with a depressant, the body is counteracting that by flooding it with cortisol, which essentially creates anxiety rather than lessen it.”