Help Yourself During the Holidays

 

Unfortunately, the holidays are not a source of joy for everyone. For some such as me, this will be the first Thanksgiving or Christmas without a loved one on Earth.  Meanwhile for others, this holiday season brings with it the reminder of love that has been lost due to divorce or the end of a relationship.  Either way, separation anxiety is real and can wear you down.

I’d like to share a few steps that you can take to help get yourself through this holiday season.

1. Be careful not to run from your emotions. Denial can be very dangerous.  It is important to acknowledge your feelings, but try not to get stuck in them. Yesterday marked six months since my mother transitioned. I realized it while I was driving to work.  Although I tried my best, but broke down in my office. I had to give in my emotions and process where I was at that moment.
2. Do your best to take some time for yourself. Others may not understand, but you must do what is best for you, that includes getting proper rest. There have been instances recently wherein I have removed myself from certain people for my own good.
3. Seek a way to refocus your energy resulting from what you’ve lost into something positive. Volunteer for a charity, deliver holiday meals. I have been very strategic in planning my Thanksgiving Day. I will be volunteering at a local senior home mainly because serving others is something that my mother love to see me do.
4. In the case of death and grief, look for a way to honor the memory of your loved one. For example, my mother used to make pumpkin bread.  This year, I plan to make a loaf and take it to the office as a fond way to remember her. I also plan to try to redeem myself by making her famous corn pudding, which I could never seem to get quite right.  🙂
5. Journaling and capturing your feelings can be therapeutic. This can be a great tool as you work through your process.
6. Pray, pray, pray – in other words, tell God about it. Be honest about how you are feelings.  After all, He already knows.  Release those feelings and emotions to the one who created you.  I can honestly say, had it not been for the Lord….                                                                                                                                Sidebar, if you read this prior to Thanksgiving day, I invite you to join me for prayer at 7AM EST on Thanksgiving morning.  Dial: 712-770-4010 Access: 107472

Sometimes the helping hands that we need most are the one located at the end of our own arms.

My prayer during this holiday season is that although emotions may run various ranges, you experience some level of peace, the type that surpasses even your human understanding.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”  John 14:27

 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7