A search for “holiday blues” yielded 4,270,000 results. If you found the holidays demanding, you are not alone.
There are many reasons it can be difficult to maintain balance during holidays. Expectations can be off the charts resulting in a heavy dose of shoulds. Whether it is four simple steps or ten tips, many good suggestions are available that remind us of the importance of taking good care of ourselves.
Since good nutrition often gives way to sugary snacks, and long days and short nights can lead to exhaustion, make sure your mind and spirit are well tuned to provide the needed support. Especially after the holidays are over, the slump in moods can be severe.
Each year at this time, I read again an excerpt from Jennifer Louden’s Self-Care Minder, Year 2, #29 (November 30th, 2001):
This is such a tender, heart-open-wide time of year. Simple things like the blood orange and lime yellow leaves wiggling outside my window and the sound of our heater coming on bring tears to my eyes. A deep yearning to nest, to deeply connect with those I love, to know soul comfort as well as I know the curve of my daughter’s smile, simmer in me.
A spiritual longing breaks through the surface of my life and catches my heart. It is a radiant song that I can’t quite hear the lyrics to. I want to stop and listen but instead I find myself emptying the dishwasher, sweeping the floor, sorting Aunt Edna’s silver.
Perhaps the barrier between this longing and our daily lives grows thinner during the holidays.
All that is required to cross the border is courage and stillness, and perhaps a friend for support.
We are entitled to “to feel ourselves beloved on this earth” as the writer Raymond Carver wrote shortly before his death. Yes, dear ones, we are.
This week, do what you can to feel yourself beloved on this earth, and if you are able to do so easily, help others to know that feeling, too.
Tips from 5 April 2010 to 6 August 2012 are here: Archived Tips
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Rev. Debra Basham
Voice or text: (269) 921-2217 Email: debra@scs-matters.com http://DebraBasham.com http://ImagineHealing.info http://SurgicalSupport.info Small Changes … Infinite Results™
“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” ~ Mother Teresa |