December is here and the holidays are upon us!

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year”… right?  Well, not exactly, and not for everyone.

While this time of year is often filled with smiles, good cheer and festivities, for some they would rather crawl into a cave and not come out until the New Year.

Guess what?  That doesn’t make them ‘The Grinch’ or grumpy either.  Before you assume or judge, think about this.

A lot of people are missing loved ones that are no longer here, making it extremely difficult to breathe sometimes, let alone go out and celebrate on the holidays.  Be respectful.

Some are very financially strapped and cannot afford all of these gifts they feel obligated to buy.  Don’t push.

Depression is very real, and very ramped up around the holidays.  If you have a co-worker, friend or acquaintance that spends the holidays alone, invite them over; you may just save their life.  You never know what type of pain hides behind smiles.  Be kind and gracious always.

Love your parents, love your siblings.  These people can test you like no other, but they are the glue that will always help keep you together.  If you are fighting with family, remember that one day they won’t be around. If however, the situation is truly toxic? Then you do what is right for you, for your soul.

Going a little deeper here, our family are our karma positively and negatively.  We chose them to learn very valuable lessons about ourselves and others.  To learn to love, learn to fight, and more importantly to learn to forgive.  Stay in your heart.

Speaking about forgiveness, it is important to make peace if and where you need to, as it will help you live more freely.  Reflect upon your part in the dynamics of your relationships; be honest, it is not always about the other(s). Check yourself.

Sometimes you are acting out the more negative, unreasonable role.  I’m referring to relatively healthy relationships here.  If you are dealing with a toxic person or people, then by all means protect yourself, no exception. At times you must keep your distance to preserve your emotional health.

On the topic of taking care of yourself this holiday season, this brings me to my next sentiment. Allow yourself permission to say ‘no thank you’. Boundaries are even more important this time of year, as we are all pulled in many different directions.

Remember that you do not have to go somewhere if you do not feel comfortable, or if it just doesn’t work for you. When we do things strictly out of obligation, it robs us of joy.  Stay authentic and only go if you truly want to. Furthermore, only go where you feel loved and welcomed or else, why bother?

Do not spend more money than you have, as it is all too easy to get caught up in buying gifts for everyone.  Keep in mind that at the end of the day, your time is worth more weight in gold than any physical item. You do not need to go into credit card debt shopping for presents, especially if you have a large family and/or a lot of friends.

I have learned this with my nieces and nephews, and I have eight of them.  I would rather hang out with them and give them my time and energy, laugh and play with them, then buy them the shiniest new toy that they won’t remember in five years.  What they will remember and feel is that I was/am always there for them.  Experiences are worth more than ‘things’.

Last but not least, eating/drinking.  Sure, live a little and eat those cookies, drink that wine, be jolly and celebrate  Just don’t go crazy, because as we know it is always harder to take it off then put it on!

Going ‘off the wagon’ at this time of year is common and sometimes ‘tomorrow I will stop’ becomes a perpetual cycle.  Keep up with your work outs, enjoy yourself.  Indulge, but do so in moderation and don’t beat yourself up for the extra cheesecake you ate.  Learn from it and move forward.

Just because you’re busy does not mean it’s ok to neglect yourself.  Make sure you get some exercise, light or moderate does not matter, just do something.  It will keep your mind right and your body happy.  Plus, you won’t feel so bad overindulging a bit as we all do at this time of year!

Speaking of exercise, be sure to also carve out at least fifteen minutes a day to do, well, nothing!  Doesn’t matter if nothing means sitting on the couch and staring into space, just make that promise to yourself to take some time daily ‘to just be’.  You are not the energizer bunny, and you too need to recharge your batteries.  

Don’t forget that a Gift Certificate for a reading is also a great gift and those are available here- make sure you scroll down to the ‘Gift Certificate’ section.

Take good care of yourself!