I found Christmas and New Year the hardest time of the year on our journey (maybe joint with Mothers Day). Here are my top tips to help you survive the festive season.
Accept it can be tough. We often are so busy striving for the goal or putting a brave face on we don't accept how tough it can be. Allow yourself to be sad, angry, upset. The feelings won't hurt you and they will pass sooner than you imagine.
Don't go to the party if you really don't want to. Ensure your need are met. Let go of others expectations, that is their thinking, their stuff. Real friends won't care and will trust you are doing what you need to do to care for yourself.
Don't expect people to understand how things are for you. They are doing/saying what makes sense from their understanding/perception of life. It will be different to yours and that's OK. Don't expect anyone to think the same as you, and you don't need them to. You've got all the resources you need to deal with life. You're going to be OK.
Give yourself a gift. A gift of love to yourself. What would that look like for you? Time for you, an extravagant item (to tend to not regret buying extravagant items!) , time with your partner.
There is a difference between healthy selfish and unhealthy selfish. Healthy selfish is recognising your needs are as important as anyone else's on this planet. We are all equal. In an aeroplane, you are told to put your own oxygen mask on first before helping someone else for a reason.
There is no good/right/bad/wrong when it comes how you should be/what you should do. Trust your instinct. Honour your soul. That's your most important job in this world, to be true to yourself.
It's not a time you should feel happy. You cannot control your emotions, it's impossible. Care less about how you feel. If you feel sad, feel sad. If you feel OK, it's OK to feel OK. If you feel happy at a particular moment that's OK too. The more we can about how we feel the less happy we tend to be. The less we care about how we feel emotions move on quicker and we naturally shift to a place of peace and contentment regardless of our circumstances.
Let yourself be loved. When everything is stripped away from this physical world it all comes down to love. You are love. Be love. Receive love.
With love
Russellx
