Mental Health

Changing Relationships

Holidays

Sheri Here!

Why do Holiday self-care?

Halloween is just around the corner and then the other end of the year holidays are upon us.

The extracurricular activities pile on: the decorating, the gift buying, the volunteer projects, and the entertaining. All of these are at a pace twice that of our normal routine.

You wonder why you are tired already just thinking about it?

Holiday Self-Care Revisited

Several weeks ago I wrote a blog about creating a Holiday plan to manage your money and time: Now is the Time. It might be a helpful refresh for those two important aspects of the holidays. Feeling pinched in either area adds stress to our life which reinforces the need for holiday self-care.

Awhile back, I’d written another blog on Holiday Self-Care with some other helpful hints, that might be of value to you now. Go and check it out.

Holiday Intentions

What is your objective for the holidays? Survive, ignore, enjoy, or something different. Choose one and then decide what does that look like and what does it entail. Now you have a plan!

I think I want to enjoy a low-key season. Now what do I want to do? A little decorating, a little entertaining, a little gift exchanging and a lot of avoiding getting sick.

There have been many years that I’d get sick right around Christmas which usually meant I overshot the mark.

Rest, good food, water, and exercise are key to a healthy season. That doesn’t mean there is no sampling of the holiday special goodies or even a bake-a-thon to share with others. A little moderation is the hot ticket for the season.

Friends and Family

This is the season for friends and family. Sometimes, we are having issues with some of those folks – go where the love is. If you have choices for holiday events and one is high stress, consider avoiding it.

For many this is also a season of sad times. Be gentle with yourself – do what you can and go where the love is. If appropriate, seek outside help from a mental health professional to get through the season and heal.

Sometimes we’re in survival mode, but where possible, make this a season of peace, love, and joy. Spend time with those you care about, take it slow and get good rest.

What about you? What are your intentions for the holidays? You don’t know yet? Now might be a good time to give it some thought and get a bit of a jump on it all. Hit reply and drop me a note and share your plans with a friend.

Around Town

This weekend is the online book launch for my book: Everything I Learned About Life I Learned on Vacation. It’s happeningSunday October 30 at 4:00pm PT and I’d love you to be there. Hosted by Marie Macagno, my writing coach. Join us for some fun, a book reading and Q&A about why and how the book got written. Here’s the zoom link. Hope to see you there.

Happy Halloween and Ciao,

Sheri

What’s Up with You?

Self Care

Sheri here,

Last week my newsletter was about preparing for the holidays, primarily about budgets – time and money.  I also included a bit about attitude.

This week I’d like to chat a bit more about holiday attitudes.  We have almost 90 days until New Year’s Day – the official end to the holiday season.  That’s a fairly long time if your attitude is suffering.

Holidays are Hard for Some

Some people really have a hard time at the holidays.  It could be the first year without someone or the anniversary of an event that was unhappy or sad.

If you find yourself in that category, be gentle with yourself, exercise self-compassion.  Don’t overextend yourself.  Maybe pick a couple of low-key events with a couple of friends and show up and find joy in the moment.

I learned a long time ago, that sadness and joy could co-exist.  It may seem like a travesty, especially if you are processing fresh grief.  But it is possible to experience both.

In fact, the sadness, the darkness supports us in understanding how special, how blessed experiencing joy can be.  They are 2 sides to the same coin.

Some Solutions to the Blues

Maybe massive decorations are too much – but what about one pumpkin or some fall flowers?  Some candy for the trick or treaters.

Try a walk around a craft store, it gets you out and shows you some of the possibilities of the season.

You don’t need to do any of them, except take in the festivities, the possibilities of the season.

Just hold that possibility door open – you may not see anything that calls you to take it home; but the bright colors and fun decorations are a lot of fun and a great potential to change your attitude to just a little cheerier.

If Sadness Continues – Seek Help

If the sadness continues, if it gets too bad and persists for too long, seek help.  There are mental health specialists that can chat with you and support you in treating a serious case of the blues.

That’s ok – we’ve all had them at one time or another and it passes – just like the holidays.

My wish for you is that you find delight and happiness in the season; that you can hear the laughter of children and appreciate the joy of the season.

Drop me a note – leave a comment below and let me know where you are this year.  Would love to hear from you whether you are happy or otherwise.

Me? I’m enjoying seeing the decorations and planning some special treats for those around me.  My hope for you is the same.

Around town

My book, Everything I Learned About Life I Learned on Vacation is now available for sale on Amazon – you can buy it here – enjoy both the book and the season!

Have a blessed week.

Ciao,

Sheri

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