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Make this a special time of year on your terms


12 years ago 0 2508 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
I am trying to keep Christmas low key this year also...I have learned not to expect to much from family and accepted that it is what it is. I can not change it or them, so this year I have decided let myself relax and try to enjoy the holidays. I am planning on cooking a nice dinner for my partner and myself on Christmas eve or Christmas day and letting myself enjoy the "moments" this year with the person I am with now. The person who cares about me. The person who makes our Christmas and my life worth living...because that is what life is all about, loving and living life in the here and now and enjoying  ours lives and the time we have together...
 
jdoe...
 
 
 
 
12 years ago 0 1022 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
I agree with Pete... go as low key as possible.  Since M died we've barely had energy to acknowledge Christmas much less do anything about it.  As the grandchildren get older though, it is hard to get away with doing nothing.  So, I've done a bit more this year than has become my habit.... Definitely have to remind myself to keep it simple... keep it simple... keep it simple! 
 
I'm really glad you are handling this year better.  Sounds like that's a real milestone... this is such a precarious time for people who are vulnerable to depression.
 
What are other people doing or not doing this year to keep things on your terms? 
 
 
12 years ago 0 223 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
As a rule, I dislike the Christmas season intensely, and for the last two or three years it has been particularly bad, and has coincided with bouts of rather violent depression and destructive impulses that I have found hard to control. This year, though, I seem to be taking it more in my stride. I'm just getting on with things that I must get on with, and trying not to care what other people think about my lack of festive spirit - I no longer send Christmas cards or eat and drink more than usual.
 
I try not to think back to Christmas past. They are either rose-tinted memories from my childhood when I really did feel the day was magical (now I know how false those memories were and what tension there was in my family), or more recent memories of depression and panic. Neither are healthy to look back to. I just try and focus on my family - my partner and sons, my aged mother. I have a responsibility to them to keep an even keel and not spoil their Christmas.
 
So, all in all, not doing too bad this time around. Low-key, that's the trick, and treat these days like any others.
12 years ago 0 11209 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
It is that time of year!  

Are you happy and/or sad?
Depressed and/or panicked?
Are you thinking of all the past experiences and memories?

Focus on the positive and keep to your resolve.  Take a great memory and dwell on it.  Don’t believe the hype, make your presents, have a small gathering, go for a Christmas walk.  It is a great time of year, but it has to be great for you, so make it what you want.

Do certain situations trigger you?  Stay away and create your own situation.  Feel the actual holiday spirit and make this about you and your loved ones.

Start your own tradition and move forward, this will be a memory to look back on.
 
How will you be celebrating this year?
 
Ashley, Health Educator

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