6 Ways To Beat The Holidays Blues
We need to keep in mind that not everyone shares the Holiday spirit and there are some people who find this period of the year extremely difficult. While most of us look forward to reunite with our loved ones, others try to isolate themselves and stay away from the holiday madness which acts as a trigger for their depression.
As a chronic illness sufferer, I know how challenging and daunting it can be to see others parading their good cheer and merriment while you’re all under the blue. It doesn’t make you a Grinch nor a Merkel, but it certainly gets on your nerves to see everyone around you enjoying a life of happiness that you have been deprived off.
This is when the Why me? question reappears and wreaks havoc through your mind, making it more tough to pull yourself together and move forward. You’ve done with it before and thought of having it sorted. Though, somehow it pops out again and put you on the wrong path again.
Fortunately there are ways to chase away the holidays blue. All you need to do is to be willing to change something and step out from under the black clouds of doom. Here are some ideas that may help you improve your spirit and pack away the Grinch:
- Avoid self-isolation as much as possible, join a gathering or a party! Try not to roll alone into your own misery. It will only make things worse. Attend that party at work or cocktail and engage in conversation with someone you never talked to before. You may find it easier to talk to someone new who is not aware of your condition. You can even enjoy having a proper conversation non-relevant to your illness. If you were trying to avoid feeling pity for or having shallow greetings, now it’s your chance to socialize!
Engage in conversation, be honest about how you feel. When asked about your health, be blunt and offer honest answers. This enables you to bring more awareness about your condition and allows you to see who are those really interested in what’s going on with you.
Shop online for your Xmas presents. If you know that crowds tend to get you overwhelmed, why not avoid them? There are plenty of websites where you can buy your gifts! Save your energy for some other activity that you would enjoy more!
Travel to a new destination, if you can afford it and if your health allows it. Go explore your surroundings as much as you can. Nothing beats the excitement of revelling in anonymity while being away from home. Don't think of it as a way to escape reality, but as a reward, a ticket to pamper yourself.
- Create new traditions. Sometimes it is much easier to try something new or step out of your comfort zone instead of doing the same old thing that doesn't bring you much joy. Who says you need to have a fir tree or thousands of lights shimmering on your house? If you don't feel like doing it, ditch it and don't feel guilty about it! Step out of the patterns and celebrate the holidays on your own pace, following your own rules. Even Santa changes the rules once in a way!
- Cultivate gratitude for all the positive aspects of your life. Although it might not seem there is not much left for you to be thankful for, you will be surprised to see how many other things you are taking for granted. Try to make a list of the things that are still going okay in your life and focus on those. Happiness doesn’t come in bulk, it’s all made out of little moments of joy that sprinkle our life here and there.
Here are other Lyme-related posts:
THE WORST 40 MINUTES IN MY WHOLE LIFE
LYME DISEASE COMES WITH CO-INFECTIONS
CHRONIC LYME DISEASE IS A REAL THING
TOP 10 WORST SYMPTOMS OF LYME DISEASE
WHAT ARE THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF LYME DISEASE?
WHY IS LYME DISEASE TOUGH TO DIAGNOSE?
HOW CAN YOU PROTECT YOURSELF AGAINST TICK BITES?
JOURNEY TO SELF-DISCOVERY
HOW I FOUND THE SILVER LINING OF LYME DISEASE
9 WAYS TO KEEP A RELATIONSHIP GOING WHEN BOTH PARTNERS ARE ILL
All of the above posts were written by me, as part of my Lyme Disease awareness campaign. They were originally published on my personal website A-ZLYME.COM .
If you would like to learn more about Lyme disease, visit A-ZLYME.COM. On my A-Z Lyme blog, I post weekly Lyme-related articles which I might re-post on Steemit, in order to increase the awareness about this infamous illness.
Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! Feel free to re steemit or up vote it!
Please leave your feedback in the comments, I would love to hear your thoughts!
@2018 LaviPicu aka The Lyme Poet. All rights reserved.
Actually, I know precisely why I am tipped over this time of year and it has absolutely nothing to do with all the happy folks.
The reality is that I like this time of year but the saddest event of my life came a day or two after Christmas so those two items are forever linked in me.
I often wish that the attitude the general public displays in December could be carried on the entire year. That's what I wish.
We would be living in a better world if everyone would continue the meritment throughout the whole year. Happy holidays!
A horrendous tragedy happened to an old schoolfriend recently, and it's made me feel very sombre about Christmas. The lack of light we have at this time of year doesn't help. I wish I could just fly away to a sunny place for a while. But the hillwalks I do cheer me up so much, as does going to the climbing centre, especially when my climbing friends are around. Even if I'm in a glum mood when I go there, I always have a big smile on my face when I get back.
I'll enjoy Christmas Day with the family, but I'll be off on a hillwalk on Boxing Day (the 26th Dec). And I always look forward to the solstice, which is tomorrow, because the days start to get longer after that.
Sorry to hear about your friend! Spending Christmas on a warmer climate is always something to look for ;0)
Top tips... we are trying to create our own little family traditions. My wife comes form a very large family and they had many things that they did together on and in the lead up to Christmas. I came from a smaller family and so it isn't so important to me... but I know that my wife misses it a lot... especially now that we live on the other side of the planet!
Being on the other side of the planet ain't easy especially during the holidays season. I know that by experience. Merry Xmas!
I think these are fantastic tips!
Holiday blues are something that many, many people get, even if they dont admit it. These are some great things they can try in order to stay upbeat. Thanks!
You're welcome! Thanks for reading!
What great suggestions for people who may suffer from holiday blues. I hope these ideas also encourage people to reach out to people who may under dark clouds.
My family and I went caroling with some other families this evening. It brought my heart joy to see people at a local nursing home with smiles on their faces. One lady cried because she would not have many visitors this year. She appreciated seeing all of our kiddos and holiday wishes.
What a lovely idea! And so sad about that lady.
I used to go carol singing when I was young and I loved the effect it had on people, especially on those who were old and alone.
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I can vouch for the bit about avoiding self-isolation. It may seem like it won't really help and all you'll accomplish is sucking everyone's happiness away, but I find that good feelings are far more contagious than bad ones.
I guess it depends on the person. Some look for it, others avoid it.
thanks for this there is a person in my life I need to share this advise with.
You're welcome! Happy holidays!
I've done three of those lol. I've been trying to be more social and engaging and even though it gets kinda exhausting and unpleasant at times (#introvertproblems), I'm actually enjoying being among people. I guess it all depends on what kind of people you are dealing with.
It's way easier to blend in and strike up a conversation if the other person(s) and you have things in common even if you two have different personalities. It becomes even easier if you are travelling with them though :D
I totally agree that travelling makes it easier! I have met so many people that I connected way faster than others that I would know dor quite some time.
I guess it's because of experiencing all the fun and beauty together. For some time, you forget yourself and your problems, which clears out your anxiety. In a weird way, it's like a poetic excuse to get along.
I like the cultivating gratitude bit sweets. Glad you put that in there. Merry Christmas!
Merry Xmas to you too! Thanks for the read!