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Hope Forward: Surviving and Thriving through Emotional Pain: Holiday Blues (Little Miracles)

Monday, December 22, 2008

Holiday Blues (Little Miracles)


I have to say that not everybody is down now. But lots of folks are. So this post is especially for you if:

*You are missing or grieving someone you loved and lost
*You are feeling less than jolly, and don't know exactly why
*You think that everyone else is happy, joyous and free
*You are not where you want to be
*You are not with who you want to be with
*Your are not feeling good about who you are, what you do or how you live
*You wish that at least during the holidays you could feel well and good, but you don't

So what to do? Well, first things first. Grace. Tis the season after all. Begin with yourself. You feel how you feel. And trying not to feel how you feel may make matters worse. So maybe give yourself a little leeway.

Second: Agree to nourish yourself. Eat good food, drink warm drinks, take vitamins, cream your skin, listen to music, take a walk. Rest. Credit yourself for each and every step you take. You can feel lousy and still take care of yourself.

Third: Talk. Whenever possible, to a good and loving ear. You don't need correction or cheering up (well, maybe a little cheering up would be okay). You most likely could just use some genuine attention and understanding. You can turn towards "fixing" things later.

Fourth: Kindness. To yourself, to another. Nothing fancy. Maybe just a good word of appreciation to someone, a compliment, or a warm smile. And then try it in front of the mirror.

I suppose that I often land on the side of "easy does it." I am all for taking the right kind of action to move forward in life, to pursue better feelings and improve relationships. But during this season of miracles, maybe it's the small things that count. You can go for the biggies later.

You may get your own little miracle of relief from your bad feelings and find some faith that good things are coming. Sometimes in crunch times, it's really okay to just let yourself off the hook and tackle the rest later.

If what you really wish for can't be, then for those who suffer from emotional pain, doing that, especially this week, may just bring the right little miracle.

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