Daily OM: "Rediscovering Your Joyfulness - Holiday Blues"

[I Have A Dream]

Rediscovering Your Joyfulness
Holiday Blues
December 20, 2006

The holidays can trigger the blues for a lot of people. We all have associations with the music, the decorations, and the foods that are so pervasive at this time of year. We may look back on a happy childhood and feel that our present situation doesn’t measure up. On the other hand, we may be reminded of what we wanted but didn’t get as children. Either way, our real lives are unfolding in the here and now. This is a new holiday season altogether, and we can find joy in the fact that we can make it our own and let it be new.

One key way to reinvigorate your holiday is to let go of feeling obligated to engage in rituals or situations that make you feel unhappy. It is easy to get lost in the trance of tradition and lose track of who you really are and what serves you as you are now. But there is a wonderful payoff if you take the time to touch base with what you really want and give it to yourself. When you take care of yourself, your capacity to give to others expands exponentially, and so does your innate joyfulness.

The first step is taking time to sort through any baggage that’s nagging you. If sad memories present themselves, know that you are not alone. It is well-documented that many people suffer from depression at this time of year. The key is to face these feelings, hear them out, and fully process them so that you can be free again. Try giving yourself the space and time to consider what will be truly healing for you this year. Perhaps you’d rather go on vacation to a tropical island with friends than go back home to a dysfunctional family. Maybe you’d prefer not to exchange gifts. Maybe you want to change-up the traditional dinner fare and make something profoundly healthy or exotic. As you infuse this holiday with new energy, you will feel your blues lightening and your joyfulness steadily on the rise. Try to make this holiday season about who you are now, not what you were in the past. Enjoy.

http://www.dailyom.com/articles/2006/6235.html

[u4ic]

1. Thanks, Dream

Yesterday, at the Solstice celebration, we were invited to place something that needed good energy at the altar. For me, it was a lot of pain and hurt. Instead of taking it back at the end of the service, however, I left it there. I do feel a bit better today, too.

Thanks for posting this. :hug:

[I Have A Dream]

2. I'm glad that you're feeling a bit better, my friend.

I ask that the Universe help you to find happiness, love, friendship, good health, financial abundance, spiritual connection, peace of mind, and work that feeds your soul. (This or something better for the highest good of all involved.)

Did you post anything about the celebration? I know that you were really looking forward to participating in it.

:hug:

[u4ic]

3. Thank you, Dream

:loveya:

The service went very well. I really enjoyed it, enjoyed participating in it, and found some of the rituals quite healing. It was a very late night; I didn't get out of there till almost 2 am (it started at 11 pm).:hug: