5 Great Ways to Deal With Holiday Gloom . . .
Hey there, Evolver!
It's so nice to catch up with you again, especially since the end-of-year holidays for 2022 are already here! Time certainly flies by. But even though this year has quickly begun transitioning out, I've still been having some wonderful thoughts about how I can help where needed. So here is a new blog post! Enjoy!
You know, when I think of the holidays, I think of all those beautiful images of people laughing and dining, having lots of fun around grand tables with mounds of food and sparkling utensils and blingware. The festivities of a Hallmark movie scene pops into my head, and it makes me want to jump right in and start singing and dancing too! But then, being the hardcore realist I am, I quickly come to grips with the fact that many people don't fair so well during the holidays. One word then pops into my mind, depression. I think about so many people suffering through the holidays with tears instead of smiles. So, this blog post is for those people who remain largely unattended during their gloomy holiday moments. They usually suffer through their holidays, desperately waiting for it all to be over. And I know this to be true because I have on occasion experienced it as well. But there are ways to get over holiday gloom! If you have been through a tough year or have had some major occurrences in your life beat you down, then here are 5 ways to push through your holiday gloom. These truly resonate with me, so I know they'll help you as well.
No. 1
Avoid denial of your true feelings.
No one knows how you feel better than you do. So, always acknowledge your feelings. If someone close to you has recently died or you can't be with loved ones for other reasons, realize that it's normal to feel sadness and grief. It's also okay to take time to mourn or express your feelings. You can't force yourself to be happy just because it's the holiday season. But you can allow yourself to be human and vulnerable. Dealing with loss of any kind involves accepting that loss and whatever comes along with it. The silver lining around the cloud is the simple fact that almost every loss we experience in life makes us stronger when we overcome it! Through our victory, we are forced to pull all the pieces of ourselves back together, only to find strength in ourselves we never knew we had.
No. 2
Be real with yourself.
The holidays don't have to be perfect. They don't even have to be like they were last year. As families change and grow, or as circles of friendships evolve, traditions and rituals change as well. It is for this exact reason that saying exists, "Cherish every moment." We're never guaranteed another day quite like any others we've already experienced. So, cherish the folks you must hold on to. For the ones who must go on, let them go. Then, be open to creating new relationships as well. Life is full of ebb and flow. So, the sooner you get comfortable with that is the better. Perhaps, if your family or friends can't come to your home, then be flexible. Get creative! Find new ways to celebrate together, such as sharing pictures, emails or videos. Or you can even meet virtually on a video call. Though your holiday plans may look different this year, you can find ways to celebrate. And always start at ground zero: celebrate your life and all you have to be thankful for . . . first.
No. 3
Plan and Budget.
Plan ahead of the holidays. Although many people separate planning from budgeting, I tend to think of budgeting as part of planning. Time is money, right? So, in the case of the holiday season, there is always so much to do. If we aren't careful, we stress ourselves out trying to do what we must on such a compressed schedule. Then comes the disappointement, which was already preceded by stress. Think about doing the following. Set aside specific days for shopping, while knowing exactly how much your spending limits will be. For activities that must be done, work out the details for food prepration, connecting with friends, attending socials, etc. When it comes to shopping for gifts and decorations, consider shopping online. For me, Amazon has become my best friend for saving me both time and money! So, to sum it up, allow me to emphasize, just plan everything! Plan your menus, plan your shopping lists, plan your activities, and so on. This will help you to prevent last-minute scrambling during the holiday time. If you grow accustomed to doing this like I have, you won't have any time for feeling gloomy. No indeed! You'll be too busy planning the things that matter most, and following through with your commitments. What a lifesaver this has become for me!
No. 4
Learn to say no.
Saying yes when you should say no can leave you feeling resentful and overwhelmed. I know I have personally struggled a lot from this in the past. And I know a lot of you do as well. That's because the resentment builds up from you not standing up for your needs when no one else was paying attention to them, including yourself. But, you must realize that friends and colleagues will understand if you can't participate in every project or activity they want you to be a part of. If it's not possible to say no in a situation like your boss asking you to work overtime, then try to remove something else from your agenda to make up for the lost time. You probably can't say no to your boss, but you can say no to that other thing, and get some form of gratification out of that.
No. 5
Find Time to Relax.
Never forget to take some time out of your busy schedule just for yourself. Sometimes we fool ourselves into thinking we are making time for ourselves, when in fact we're making time for ourselves and others all at once. We're just creating pockets of shared time, which doesn't allow us to focus on our specific, unemcumbered needs. So, instead, find an activity you enjoy alone. Then, take a break for yourself to engage in that activity. Include no one else . . . just you. You never know, just spending 15 minutes alone, without distractions, may refresh you enough to handle everything you need to do with pride and joy. Find something that reduces stress by clearing your mind, slowing your breathing and restoring your inner calmness.
Some options may include the following:
- Taking a walk at night and stargazing
- Listening to soothing music
- Reading a book
Here is one of my weird ways of creating me-time for myself: my guilty pleasure is steady paced peddling on the exercise bike in the gym, while catching up on Tiktok vids, all by my lonesome self. And I love it! (LOL!) It's the one thing I do for myself that brings me joy. And I completely tune out everything else in those particular moments of time.
IN CONCLUSION . . .
Sure life can be tough on all of us at times. We do our best to always smile through it all, and sometimes push our bad feelings to the back of our minds. To no avail, we find our attempts futile because gloominess will form within us anyway. During the holiday season, we can especially be guilty of this. It's important that we don't let the hustle and bustle of the season add to any unresolved issues we're already shouldering. So, I hope you find this blog post very helpful. And if you think someone else can benefit from it, by all means, please be an extending arm for me, and send this blog post their way.
Happy Holidays to you, Evolver!
My Best Regards
x o x o
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