Holiday Blues
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving week. This morning I read a passage from my journal that said, “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:31-32. With the holidays fast approaching, this verse spoke to me. With different family dynamics that come into play, the holidays can be difficult for some. During a time of year that is supposed to bring the most amount of kindness and joy, it sometimes evokes other negative emotions. Perhaps it isn’t even bitterness towards another person, but sadness because they are no longer here. Or, maybe it isn’t a death in the family, but a change in family dynamics due to a divorce or breakup. Whatever the case may be, I wanted to write this post to let you know that you aren’t alone in your feelings. However, I thought I would give you a few tips to make it through this stressful time of year with a shift in your perspective to one of gratitude and delight to let go of bitterness…and remember to be kind to one another and forgive.
Here are a few ideas you can try to shift your focus and attention on gratitude:
· Instead of focusing on writing or sending Christmas cards, is there someone you could send a thank you card to? Is there someone who helped you when you were down or someone who taught you something that has stuck with you? The action of recognizing their kindness will not only bring you warm thoughts towards that person for what they did for you but also make you feel good for taking the time to write down and send a kind word.
· If you have lost someone this year, instead of putting your attention and focus on your sadness, is there a way to honor them? Is there an activity that they loved to do that you could do to bring positive memories to the forefront and bask in the laughter and joy from those great times? **I do want to make a note that if you are feeling grief, don’t hide from it. Don’t force it to be tucked away. Take a moment to acknowledge your pain and sorrow from the thoughts of no new memories. Breathe in. Breathe out. Stand in it. Let yourself cry. Let that pain wash over you. Then let those thoughts that are no longer serving you go—as best as you can. **
· Write down 10 things you are grateful for going into this holiday season. Put the list on the fridge or your mirror so you can see them every day. If gratitude is at the forefront of your mind, there is less room for negativity.
· If you are dealing with a change in your family circumstances this year because of a divorce or breakup, is there a tradition you could change and make your own? Of course, things will be different, but maybe different can be good. Maybe this is the year you start something completely changed—it could be as simple as making a different dinner dish than normal. Or make travel plans. Spend the holiday somewhere else or put your tree up in another room.
· Write down one thing that you are looking forward to after the holidays. (Something besides them being over). Hold onto that and if nothing else realize that you have survived 100% of your hardest days and remember to always be kind. Your kindness to others is the one thing you can control.
I know some of these ideas might seem cheesy, but I promise the more you shift your perspective to one of gratitude, you will start to notice more things you are grateful for than things you are not. I hope you all have an amazing weekend. Keep an eye out for my top gift ideas next week! And, as always, happy reading.
