While holidays are supposed to bring cheer, there are a myriad of factors that can rob one of great joy and allow stress and/or depression to take root. In order to experience the delights of holidays, it’s important to understand the hazards that lurk below the surface.
Summer’s more relaxed, casual schedule has been usurped with two or three months of nearly nonstop activities. For those with children still at home, school is back in full speed and is accompanied by special events throughout the week. If you couple this with one holiday right after another and all the planning that accompanies these celebrations, no wonder many of us feel like we’re overloaded.
Additionally, there are traditions to uphold and often unrealistic expectations to maintain — decorating the house just right, shopping for the perfect gifts, prepping for parties, and hosting family and friends.
In addition to the hazards of adding more activities into our schedules with no additional hours, this is often a time when we reflect most on the loss of loved ones. Our emotions are often mixed with bittersweet memories.
Although it’s true many experiences stress or even depress us during the holidays, there is much that can be done to enjoy them. Part of The Serenity Prayer goes like this: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time.” Keeping things in proper perspective will go a long way toward making our holidays rewarding.
Someone once said, “A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.” Sometimes we have to adjust our expectations in order to arrive at a happier place. Every holiday doesn’t have to include every tradition of years past to be considered fabulous. We can add new traditions and experiences to the holidays that in turn can add new vitality to our lives.
Below are eight simple things you can practice during these upcoming H.O.L.I.D.A.Y.S. to truly enjoy this unique and wonderful time of year.
- Healthy living — A great de-stressor is to make healthy living a part of your daily life. Eat right. Get sufficient sleep. See your doctor regularly. Move throughout the day, and don’t sit too long. Take the stairs rather than the elevator, and don’t always park in the closest spot. Make healthy living a priority.
- Others — Scrooge and The Grinch finally got it. The holidays are all about others — loving, caring, serving and enjoying others. The table doesn’t have to be set perfectly, and the presents don’t have to be wrapped beautifully. What matters is we slow down enough to delight in the presence of others; this is the greatest present to others and ourselves.
- Laugh often — I recently read this comic strip: “My friend reviewed her young son’s fill-in-the-blank homework. One line was, ‘At Christmas, we exchange gifts with ____.’ His response was, ‘receipts.’” It reminded me not to take life so seriously. If someone doesn’t like the gift you bought him and returns it, remember it is the thought that counts. Do the best you can in life, and lighten up when things don’t quite go your way.
- Involve others — Make others central in your life. Ask others to join you on projects. Learn to delegate. Learn to share the fun. People appreciate things more when they have a part in it. Do you want your kids and your spouse to appreciate the holidays more? Let them share in the decorating of the house and sending out the greeting cards.
- Decide what your priorities are — Decide what is essential for holiday happiness, and do those things first. Everything else is just frosting on the cake. Don’t be afraid to say, “Sorry, but not this year.”
- Acknowledge — The holidays won’t be as they were when you were a kid. Times and people change. Accept the changes, and enjoy celebrating in new and fresh ways.
- Youthful exuberance — Never lose the awe children have for the holidays. Do what you can to see the holidays through the eyes of a child, and allow even the simplest of traditions to touch your heart in a profound way.
- Savor your surroundings — Find ways to allow all your senses to relish the holidays. The holidays offer so many wonderful sounds, smells and sights that can impact your life in special ways. Take time to experience the beauty of each season, and enjoy the journey along the way.
Brian Horner is the Gulf Coast Division director of Marketplace Chaplains USA, which is an organization that provides workplace chaplains to corporate America. This employee-care program serves employees and their family members 24/7.
For more information, visit www.mchapusa.com or call (800) 775-7657.