A Recipe for the Holiday Blues
With the arrival of the holidays, many of us will starting mixing up our Annual Recipe of Holiday Blues. We are going to pour in a huge helping of high expectations. Many will add in an extraordinary amount of late nights, alcohol, and lots of sweets. Then we will worry about not having enough money. This recipe is guaranteed to turn your holiday cheer into a holiday depression. And, for those who are spending their first holiday without someone they love, these Holiday Blues will make you more than depressed. It will steal away your limited joy and replace it with an even deeper grief.
For the next few weeks I invite you to resist stirring up this concoction. I will share a few tips to help you find a better path through the Holidays. But, while a few of these factors are unavoidable, the remaining are within our control. Don’t fret over the things which are beyond your control, but resolve to make the best of those things that you can manage.
May these next few weeks truly be happy holidays for you and your family!
For the next few weeks I invite you to resist stirring up this concoction. I will share a few tips to help you find a better path through the Holidays. But, while a few of these factors are unavoidable, the remaining are within our control. Don’t fret over the things which are beyond your control, but resolve to make the best of those things that you can manage.
May these next few weeks truly be happy holidays for you and your family!
Tips -- The Sheep and the Goats
Take a sheet of paper and draw a line across the middle and a line down the middle of the bottom half.
On the left side of the bottom half write the word SHEEP. One the right side of the bottom half write the word GOATS.
Now, start making a list of all the things you want to happen this Christmas in the upper half. Include the activities you want to attend, the things to get done, and the hopes you have for the holidays.
Now, start copying the items in the top half to the bottom. If they are things you have complete control over place them to the far right in the Sheep section. If you only have some control place them toward the center. If they are things over which you have no control, place them to the far right in the Goat section. If you only have a little control, place them near the centerline.
Once everything has been transferred, look at your holiday. Focus your energies on the things to the left and give yourself permission to let go of the things on the right. If your lack of money is beyond your control, then scratch off a few of the pricier items on the left. If your sense of grief is too overwhelming, scratch off or change some of the more demanding things toward the left. This exercise will show you that you do have some control over your holidays and will help you identify ways that you can take better care of yourself.
On the left side of the bottom half write the word SHEEP. One the right side of the bottom half write the word GOATS.
Now, start making a list of all the things you want to happen this Christmas in the upper half. Include the activities you want to attend, the things to get done, and the hopes you have for the holidays.
Now, start copying the items in the top half to the bottom. If they are things you have complete control over place them to the far right in the Sheep section. If you only have some control place them toward the center. If they are things over which you have no control, place them to the far right in the Goat section. If you only have a little control, place them near the centerline.
Once everything has been transferred, look at your holiday. Focus your energies on the things to the left and give yourself permission to let go of the things on the right. If your lack of money is beyond your control, then scratch off a few of the pricier items on the left. If your sense of grief is too overwhelming, scratch off or change some of the more demanding things toward the left. This exercise will show you that you do have some control over your holidays and will help you identify ways that you can take better care of yourself.
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