This is a follow up from my earlier post on Organizing with Depression. Holiday time can be, for many, many people far from a joyful celebration of anything. For many people it becomes an overwhelming time of year that they learn to dread and fear. Celebrating holidays both and home and in the business environment comes with many expectations that some people simply can not meet. Does this sound familiar and contribute to your feelings of overwhelm? Hlidays come with:
- extra food that maybe you have been trying to avoid all year to loose weight
- expectations of gift giving that maybe you can’t afford or don’t have the energy to arrange
- visits with family that perhaps aren’t your favourite friends
- multiple distractions (lunch/parties/people collecting for gifts) at the office interrupting attempts to put together projections for next year
Whatever contributes to your blue mood and feelings of overwhelm, the first step is to acknowledge the problem. Next take a good look at what you can control and what you can’t. Can’t avoid the office party? Can you control the length of time you are there or whether or not you nap before hand to ward off fatigue and frustration. With the downturn in the global economy, gift giving is going to be a very serious financial trial for many, many people. Can you pear down your list? Consider making a contribution to a charity in lieu of sending gifts to clients – then send them a card that discribes your gift on their behalf.
Take back control of what you can. It will help that blue be a little more rosy.
