Since starting at this site,i have come so far...iam going to stay in the present,and not worry about yaesterday or tomarrow...to let go of all the old hangups i have had..to laugh more,pray more,love more, and accept myself the way i am right now,in my life!
I do have my moments of feeling the loss of all my loved ones this time of year,but...i also look at all the blessings i have in my life right now,because i am so thankful for that!
This year I am working on reframing and staying in the present so that I can enjoy the holiday season... I have so much to be thankful for this year. I have someone who cares about me and that I care about to enjoy the holiday season with this year..
I'm sorry to hear about your losses. For people who have lost loved ones the holidays can be a very difficult time. Try not to be too hard on yourself and expect too much. It's ok to feel sad this time of year. If you feel you need rest, rest; if you need to cry, cry. Try to appreciate small pleasures; laughter, a cup of eggnog, a child opening a present, etc. Also, understand that the holiday season will not be the same again. Don't try to make it the same as you will likely be disappointed. Try to make new traditions that provide new meaning. What and how would you like to celebrate? You can start completely fresh with new traditions. Or you can chose to keep particularly meaningful traditions. Discover what you need this time of year and give it to yourself. Some ideas: volunteer, go on a Christmas walk, shop for a family in need, make your favorite ethnic foods, call or send a card to a friend you hadn't spoken to in years, play board games with friends, etc. Start with thinking about what do you value and what you want to celebrate and then go from there.
Carmie,
How beautiful! I love your thoughts on the holiday season and celebrating light!
I have to say that I have been a little more anxious and sad than normal but I am working on it. Sometimes my anxiety is at the forefront of my mind but sometimes I just catch myself saying or thinking things that are out of character. For example, that I can't wait until the holidays have passed. Which is unfortunate, because generally speaking I love celebrating.
I was reminded during one particular situation of a wonderful service that I attended a few years ago. Everyone who attended received a candle (I still have mine right here with me). The service spoke about how so many religions and cultures celebrate light during this time of year. It helps me to remember that I have an opportunity to be a beacon for someone, who is in a darker place than I am.
Something that helped me to appreciate the beauty in this cold and sometimes harsh time of year was to put some Christmas music on my mp3 player and to go for a run while it was snowing outside. It was beautiful!
I will celebrating getting traction at the chiropractor since I decided to "throw out the old" when I was cleaning, and threw out my back with a very old and heavy cast iron sink.
I didn't do any kitchen sinking.
I'm going to let his fingers do the walking down my spine. I still have to carry 4 huge tires into my car and back when they get swapped tomorrow.
I'm not going to be feeling much because of the tylenol, but I'll be better in 14 days
Hi Ashley, I must say this & New Years are my least favorite times of the year, I dread it each year and notice my anxiety attacks get more frequent and stronger the closer we get. Christmas was my late husbands favorite time of year, and since he passed 9 years ago we have as a family lost several more people each year, the latest being my father.
We used to have a huge family Christmas, then we noticed the number of chairs around the table were getting less, and the fewer we had the more our spirits diminished. We never spend Christmas as a family anymore, we all go our separate ways, which is so sad. I try to give my daughters a good Christmas but they don't enjoy it, in fact they can't wait until the holidays are over.
Do you have any suggestions to help us get through this as a family and maybe start our old tradition again?
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.
Start your own tradition and move forward, this will be a memory to look back on.
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Happy holidays to everyone
