Overcoming the Fa-la-la Blahs

It’s almost that time of year again!

Whether you feel the magic of the holidays, or are affected by the winter blues, no one can escape this time of year. Everyone will have a different attitude about it as well based on their past experiences. Does it delight you and bring childlike wonder as you decorate and provide the same magical experience for the little people around you? Does it cause you stress, financial or otherwise and feel overwhelming at times? Do you get wrapped up in the busyness and chaos that this season can bring, and after January 1 start coming down from the excitement, but continue to fall down into a depression? However you respond and react to this time of year, I just want you to know that everyone on the planet will be going through their own emotions, good and bad, highs and lows during this time.

Here are some tips for staying afloat during this time of obligations and commitments. First on the list, and one of the toughest is to keep our personal boundaries. Don’t over spend if it will cause you to be short with your personal bills. Don’t attend every function you are invited to if you’re not feeling up to it.

Don’t put yourself in the same room as toxic family members who just want to abuse you. The holidays are not a good reason to put yourself into situations you wouldn’t normally be in or around people that you wouldn’t associate with, and buy things and spend money on people that you wouldn’t typically.

You are not obligated to any of that, this year or any year. We set personal boundaries so that we feel good in our life and the things we are doing. Other people will try to step on or push our boundaries, and it’s up to us to push them back or remind them what you have in place for yourself. Be unwavering in self-preservation. This time of year and always. It’s your greatest gift that you have to give yourself.

Intentional grounding yourself is the next tip and would also be helpful when you are around a lot of people or keeping a busy schedule. Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in our thoughts, our to do lists, being positively affected by the magic in the air, and the hopes and wishes that the holidays can bring. So before you attend a family function or work or social event, taking a couple of moments to ground yourself would be most beneficial for you. It’s hard during the winter season here in Canada to walk barefoot on the earth or hug your favourite tree, both of which are quick and effective grounding tools. However, you can also ground yourself by taking a few deep breaths while visualizing roots coming out of your feet, connecting to the core of the earth, and breathing out the busyness and breathing in calm. Breathing out the stress, breathing in joy. Giving yourself a couple of minutes to prepare for your social event will go a very long way with your emotional mindset there.

There’s also something in our climate we’ve referred to as the winter blues, or known as seasonal affective mood disorder. It’s when you live in colder climates, where it gets darker early and humans lack the vitamin D required to thrive in life. Like a plant sitting in a dark room, it needs the sunlight to regenerate itself, it needs the sunlight to shine down on it, radiating its beautiful glow over us and providing the heat to warm our bellies. During the cold winter months, it’s easy to stay inside, to not feel the sunshine on your face or fresh air in your lungs, but we still need it. Much like that plant, we need the sun to survive. So if you look for a vitamin D supplement, or ensure that you get fresh air and sunshine in the cold as well, you won’t feel as affected by the darkness. Literally. Consider that the sunshine shines light into our soul. Don’t deprive yourself of that, ever.

We also get to a time when there is lots of snow, winter conditions are at their peak, socializing is at a minimum, getting outside for exercise and fresh air is a rarity, and we may feel the blues starting to set in just because of the massive change in our routine. Also, humans are social creatures, and we thrive from being around good friends, good company. It’s helpful to have someone in your life that you can verbalize your thoughts and emotions to and gain different opinions, perspective, and validation on your feelings. Don’t suffer alone, or in silence, that is a form of self sabotage and you’re only hurting yourself. I encourage you to consider the winter months as a form of hibernation. Maybe you are a social butterfly most of the year, but take this time for yourself. Staying home, tending to your personal projects, taking care of yourself, body, mind, and soul.

The spring always offers a sense of rebirth and excitement. New growth is happening all around us, and love is always in the air. What if we spent the months prior to spring slowing down, resting, recuperating, and recovering from the busyness of the holiday season. Instead of being sad, be glad to have the time to take care of things around your house. Instead of feeling depressed, express your thoughts and emotions in a healthy and productive way. Instead of falling down the ladder of life, hold on to where you are, and breathe through the challenging times. There are ways and many professional people that can help you break out of this seasonal cycle if you are one to feel down throughout or after it.

So reach out if you need, stay warm and well and remember that it’s important for you to give yourself what you need this holiday season. Give yourself the gift of your full attention, I promise you it will be worth it. You are worth it.