Avoid the Red and Green Blues
Welcome to Your Love Breakthrough! Get Real. Love.
In this edition — Avoid the Red and Green Blues
Perspective — Don We Now Our Rose-Colored Glasses
Practical Tactics — Shake off the Shabby Shoulds
It’ll Be a Pink, Pink Holiday Season with or without You
Perspective — Don We Now Our Rose-Colored Glasses
When Red and Green dots the seasonal landscape, some of us experience the nostalgic joy of our childhoods. We leap into celebration with jingle bells on.
But for some of us, aspects of the holidays provoke negative memories or remind us of our current unfavorable circumstances.
Whether you find yourself on the North or South Pole, it's a crucial time to cling to what brings you joy and avoid what drags you down. Seek out occasions, people, and things that bring you cheer. If you love the holidays, dive in. If not, reflect on what does make you happy and do the work to create it for yourself. It will pay off.
Case in point: A friend of mine has never celebrated the holidays because of her and her family's faith. It's not that the holidays "trigger" her. She doesn't "run" from them either. But every year, she finds a way to embrace the time when others are engaged in festivities. She has traveled to "off-season" destinations for this time of year. Other years, she has used the her paid time off to dive into fun and fulfilling projects.
Practical Tactics — Shake off the Shabby Shoulds
To determine what really does make you feel joy or heaviness, here are some things to reflect on and ask yourself:
Do I feel I should do this? If so, why? Some "shoulds" are "musts". In these cases, consider the consequences: will this produce a life-giving or joyful outcome once it is done? Or will it potentially end with my feeling burned out or enabling someone?
Is the distraction or endeavor I'm craving a helpful way to avoid negative feelings? Or is it going to lead to negative feelings later?
What steps do I need to take to engage in the positive activity that I think would make me happy - is it worth the effort or expense? If not, what is a doable alternative that could accomplish the same thing?
If online dating depresses you - step away. If you're hoping for holiday romance, keep open to online opportunities and continue real life networking, too.
You get the idea - assess the probable end-result and what you and others will get out of it. If you are a planner, you can fill up your
calendar with as many of these items that will be most likely to fulfill you and others this season.
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