Whether you feel uplifted and joyful during the holiday season or find your mood in the gutter (it’s not uncommon considering it can trigger loneliness, anxiety, and depression), I hope you’ll be soothed and encouraged by these personal reflections.
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Encouragement to Ease Holiday Overwhelm
When the holidays threaten to steal your peace…
You may feel a sense of imbalance. Not everyone feels warm and fuzzy when stores fill up with Christmas decorations and the “Walkin’ in a Winter Wonderland” is pumping everywhere. Commercials beaming shiny happy families and the smiles of the season cause plenty of folks to feel blue.
Why?
There may be a profound disconnect when your emotional state contrasts with a steady stream of messages suggesting you should feel cheerful. December can easily overwhelm and magnify feelings of loneliness, loss, financial hardship, and sad seasons from the past.
Shorter grey days and lack of sunlight may increase despair. The season’s change can affect anxiety and sadness, and less sunlight may contribute to mixed emotions and despair during the holidays.
Ideas to Soothe Despair
While we are all unique creatures with varying sensitivities and circumstances, I offer these tips as someone with a counseling degree who is also in the trenches with you and prone to despair.
Reach out to a friend. Sharing your feelings with someone else requires courage when you’re worried about feeling like a burden. However, it’s perfectly okay to not be okay.
Skip the pity party. Though it may be easy (and even strangely soothing) to allow bitterness to swell within you, choose to say ‘yes’ to an alternative. Say ‘no’ to withdrawing from others, and if you feel you have been left off a guest list, become the host!
Ditch plastered smiles. Faking happy feelings may seem like a good idea, but ultimately, the masquerade is not helpful. Instead, allow yourself to feel the sadness while deciding that there are active ways you can transform the heartache.
Add more sunshine and laughter. Strive to get more sunlight daily. If you can, shoot for 20 minutes. What makes you laugh? Go toward those things and be tickled.
Offer help. Get busy helping someone else, give your time and talents, and volunteer if possible…a focus on helping others is often a powerful antidepressant.
Spend time with animals. They can heal us.
Be a holiday renegade. Remind yourself there is not just one way to carry out holiday traditions…create your own.
Keep moving. Yes, exercise and stay physically active. But also try to avoid unstructured time. Fill your calendar with activities you enjoy.
Nurture your soul. If you practice a faith tradition, take the time to read, pray, and go deeper on your spiritual journey. See a spiritual director, companion, or friend to help you recover your bearings.
Ideas When the Holidays Hold Religious Significance For You…
Since I celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday, the following reflections relate to faith.
Shift your focus to the spiritual meaning and depth within the holidays.
Keeping my heart attuned to the spiritual is the most meaningful path I know to experience authentic Christmas joy and wonder.
For me personally, the story of the birth of Christ is richly laden with comfort and good news. When I consider the scene where a fresh new child is born and placed in a humble manger, I recognize myself in the scene.
this Amish butterprint pattern is one I grew up. Dutch oven: FIND HERE.
I see that the dark lowly stable of my own depravity is in fact a blessing, not a curse.
When I become still like that first Christmas night and surrender all I have–my mood, my disordered thoughts, and my worries–I become aware that underneath them, a deeply loved shining soul waits.
My spirit finds comfort when in the night sky of my heart, I freshly discover how the light of the world sees me during this holy season.
Oh, what comfort grows from this RADIANT GLANCE OF MERCY.
When too many holiday trappings distract me from the radiance, I must seek the grace to experience it again.
For me, the Christmas story is an amazing story of transformation. Is it any wonder so many of us love a profound before and after story whether it’s an interior or a life restored?
Unlike our DIY whole house renovation, the mechanics of interior transformation are mysterious. I only know a trustworthy energy appears to glow from a lighter realm and is lovingly holding everything together.
If I’m honest, most days the eyes of my heart are closed in sleep, and I cannot see in the manner in which I am created to see.
Yet each day holds promise for awakening! When I slow down and quiet mental chatter, I can consent to the Presence who is always there.
Purity of heart, peace, and new sight may become possible.
I express this not in certainty, but in wonder:
a heart can become Bethlehem where something new may be born.
You don’t need to live in a monastery or a bubble or complete silence to awaken to beauty. While being out in nature helps, there are practical ways you can cultivate a rhythm which will nurture your soul.
No matter what your work day looks like, you can begin to “work in stillness” and notice your breath. When I do housework and sweep the floors (you know how I love to sweep!), I become aware as I work in stillness that I am no longer simply sweeping.
I am preparing room in my heart for heaven and nature to sing.
The tears often come easily as my blessings wash over me, and the saltwater baptism feels like a precious gift.
These reflections are shared from my tender heart
prone to sadness during the holidays,
prone to shame, and certainly prone to fall asleep.
But even my sadness can become an offering.
I long to place it near the manger,
alongside Frankincense and Myrrh,
under the Christmas blessing of faith and truth.
It’s there I’ll meet
the radiant glance of mercy
shining like a Star in the East.
Awakened to beauty, I pray I may become a reflection of the radiance
and a source of healing light.
I pray that my heart will become a Bethlehem, where something new may be born.
Sending hope, encouragement, and
See these holiday posts if you missed them:
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Peace to you right where you are.
-michele
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I know some people find the Christmas season hard. Depression is a terrible thing and unless you have experienced it, you can not understand what they are going through. Try including that person in some fun things like grabbing a hot chocolate and walking the beach in the sunshine, on a small shopping excursion, meeting for lunch, listening….But, the person who is depressed has an obligation to try their best to not bring their friends and family down. It’s ok to talk about your feelings but not ALL the time. I say this not to hurt but to help. I tried my best to help out a neighbour. But no matter what I did for her, time spent with her, she remained so very, very negative. Finally, my husband said cut her off. She’s bringing you down!
Your’s is the only blog I follow that touches on such topics. The rest are all beautiful pictures of perfect lives. Thank you for being you! Blessings ~ Joanna
Author
So much grey area when it comes to depression, combative personalities, and what being a good friend constitutes, yes? Thank you for your honesty and support. No perfection here – I couldn’t handle that kind of pressure! Happy Thanksgiving, friend. xox
This was beautiful my friend! You share yourself and in doing so, you help so many. God has given you a gift and you eloquently give it to us. Blessings to you and Happy Thanksgiving ❤️
Author
I feel the same way about how you share your exceptional artistic gifts, friend. The work has so much heart and soul in it, and collectors are so blessed to receive it! Happy Thanksgiving. xox
Beautiful reflections, thank you Michele. Happy Thanksgiving!
Author
Happy Thanksgiving, Karen – I hope it is filled with hope and love. 🙂
Love your quiet, peaceful Christmas decor, Michelle. (Yes, I bleach pine cones!) The older I get, the more I long for beauty in simplicity especially during this season. Love all your vintage touches! Do I see a pom-pom wreath tutorial from you in our future?
Author
I need you to bleach a bunch of mine, please. 🙂 I hear you about simplicity. Re: pom pom pretty stuff…Ha! I am so terrible at tutorials! I definitely need to, and if my sister (a pom pom maker as well) would lend me a hand, maybe! But it’ll end up being comedy!
So much better! I love to start my day with a laugh.
Agree! holiday is so overwhelming day of the year. Glad I came to your blog. This is inspiring.
Author
Thanks so much for finding me and the kind words! Peace to you this holiday.
Michele,
Thanks for sharing at Thursday Favorite Things. I love your pom pom wreath. So glad I am not the only one that looses track of days. I too love breakfast casseroles. I especially loved your post. Sometimes we can get caught up in the merriment of Christmas and forget that not everyone feels the same way.
I also love all of your decorations. They are so lovely.
Hugs,
Bev
Author
So happy you stopped to visit and shared these kind words, Bev. I love partying with you creative bloggers at TFT and soaking up inspiration. xox
Michele,
You are so sweet and we love seeing what you share. Please stop by TFT since you are being featured.
Hugs,
Bev
Author
Woohoo! Thank you so much – can’t wait to see.xox
What a beautiful, peaceful post. I’ve featured it at Thursday Favorite Things today. Thanks for sharing!
Author
So honored to hear it, Pam. Thanks so much for spreading the love. xox
Ah the beauty of your words so perfectly strung together! Heartfelt thanks ♥ (btw do you share anywhere how to craft those amazing pom pom wreaths?)
Author
Thanks so much for reading and for your kindness. I haven’t yet created a tutorial and am so sorry about that. I will try to do that – it takes a lot of time and means I have to actually make another one! Ha! 🙂
No worries Michele, I will continue to follow you until that blissful day when your tutorial appears!
Author
You’re the best! xox