To our Advance LA Community,

November may be the very best month of autumn. We have made it through the carving of the pumpkins and the chaotic fun of Halloween. Now we can take a breath, pull on a cozy sweater, and settle into November. It’s a holiday month without the pressure of buying gifts. It is a time to spend with family and friends, cook and bake, and reflect on all that makes us feel grateful. You may appreciate Maya Angelou’s quote, “Be present in all things and thankful for all things” or you may really relate to Martha Stewart’s quote, “So the pie isn’t perfect, cut it into wedges. No need to panic!”

In this month’s blogpost, I share a conversation I had with Heidi, a parent who is a member of our Advance LA Support Group for Parents of Neurodivergent Young Adults. I met Heidi in March 2020 when we moved our group online due to the pandemic. Heidi is a regular at our meetings and she always bring resources, suggestions, support, and a healthy dose of humor. In our chat, Heidi shares her gratitude for raising a child on the autism spectrum and for how this experience has impacted her as a mom.

Advance LA’s mission is to help our clients advance to independent adulthood. Our Life Skills Coaches meet with their clients remotely, or in person, to provide support and guidance in areas including academics, executive functioning, time management, organization, social/dating skills, job/internship obtainment and maintenance, and independent living skills.

Please contact us at advancela@thehelpgroup.org for more information.

Wishing you all the best,
Jeri Rochman, JD, MS
Program Coordinator
Advance LA

Holiday perfectionism is one of the main causes of holiday stress. Whether it’s spending all day cooking the perfect recipes for your holiday feast, making sure your house is perfectly decorated, or spending all day trying to perfectly wrap gifts, trying to do it all can zap any ounce of holiday joy.

In addition, for some parents of neurodivergent young adults, there is the added stress of the societal pressure to have a flawless family life and perfect children. The reality is that despite what we may see on social media, “perfect” families simply do not exist. And the holidays are never really perfect.

But the good news is that holiday perfectionism can be overcome. Once you decide to let go of worrying about what other people may think, to let go of unrealistic standards of what your homelife should look like, and to let go of harsh judgments of yourself, you may find peace. And you may find that you actually enjoy the season! Here are a few ways to reduce holiday stress …