Tired of Singing the Holiday Blues? Change Your Tune with these Optimistic Tips
Optimism guru Dr. Russ Buss of the Moment-to-Moment Optimism blog shares his advice for overcoming the all too common Holiday Blues. With the holiday season upon us, many feel overwhelmed to produce the best gifts, the cheeriest spirit, and strength to be socially ‘on’ for round after round of social gatherings. If you’re one of the people who struggle this time of year, read on for practical tips to not only help you survive the holidays, but transform the blues into a healthy holiday spirit.
East Lansing, MI (PRWEB) November 22, 2009
While the holiday season is supposed to be a joyous occasion, many individuals find this time of year depressing and suffer a condition known as the Holiday Blues. Often, people have trouble finding the expected optimism for the holiday season and the stress of not measuring up can worsen their pessimistic outlook.
In his Optimism blog (http://www. drrussbuss. com (http://www. drrussbuss. com)), Dr. Russ tackles the causes of the Holiday Blues and offers tips for understanding where the pessimistic attitude comes from and steps that can be taken to overcome the negative emotions associated with the holidays.
Primary sources of holiday pessimism:
1. Unable to meet perceived high expectations of others/pressure to please.
2. Unable to meet high expectations of financial resource demands. Especially in this economic time, it is tough to meet a perceived need to offer the perfect gift(s).
3. Sad feelings associated with a negative anniversary (i. e. death of a loved one).
4. Grief over of loss of positive holidays past. Remembrances of holidays when “everyone used to be together” can trigger negative feelings.
5. Social pressure to be ‘on’. While extroverts handle the holidays well, the majority of us with even a small percentage of introversion struggle with the demand to be funny, cheerful, happy, and generally ‘warm and fuzzy’.
Here are some Russ Bussters to help you bust through that holiday pessimism:
1. Focus on what ‘holiday spirit’ is really about. Celebrate family and joys of new beginnings. Experiences do not require a lot of extra money or time - they require the here and now pleasure of being surrounded by loved ones.
2. Control what you can and do the ‘next right thing’ - plan ahead for social gatherings that might put you in a difficult position.
3. Recognize that even an annoying and irritating relative has a few positive features. Challenge yourself to identify a positive thought or positive comment about a disliked relative.
4. Accept the natural order of change in life. Children grow up and move away - enjoy the opportunity to have a less hectic and more intimate holiday season.
5. Overwhelmed by it all? It’s time to focus on one thing and one step at a time. Break tasks or challenges down into micro units for easier management.
The social expectations of the holiday season can be traced back to childhood where children learn to focus on “what am I going to get." If this experience can be adjusted early on, perhaps a whole generation of children can avoid the Holiday Blues as adults. Here are a few tips to encourage “Holiday Resilient Optimism” in children:
1. Less is more. An opportunity for learned optimism occurs when children learn they do not need material things to make them feel good or happy. Limit gift giving and prompt dialogue about the relationship between gifts and feelings.
2. Give without expectation of thanks. Begin a new family tradition where giving is the focus (i. e. Toys for Tots, volunteerism, etc).
3. Sharing experiences and tradition with family and friends. Verbalize positive aspects and feelings felt in that moment. Take pictures of these moments of togetherness to be shared and discuss throughout the year so that positive attitude is reinforced for another twelve months.
4. Appreciation of the intent and thought of another. Optimism manifests when we teach children to focus away from self-gratification and onto the thought behind and intention of the one giving the gift. Showing appreciation of the gift could mean wearing the new outfit or playing with the new toy in the presence of the gift-giver.
5. The celebration of new beginnings and the awe of the possibility of miracles. There are many opportunities, both secular and non-secular, to instill perseverance and wonderment in children - take advantage the diverse number stories and symbols related to the season and share them with children.
Power down your pessimism, recharge your optimism and check out more of the Dr. Russ Buss tips for beating the Holiday Blues. Visit the Dr. Russ Buss blog at http://www. drrussbuss. com (http://www. drrussbuss. com) - there you’ll find the additional tips for holiday survival and your daily source of optimism inspiration.
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