Day 330 Question 330:

How do you beat the holiday/winter blues?

For so many people it seems like there is this huge shift in mood when the winter season/holidays seem to come around.  I admit that I tend to fall into the winter blues sometimes (it doesn’t last long though).  I can’t quite explain what I feel this time of year.  It almost feels like a kind of discomfort through my body because the weather is constantly changing and it seems as if this gray color is constantly sitting in the air.  With weather change comes mood change.  It always amazes me the power that the sun can have over our moods.  So, the question at hand is how do I conquer these winter/holiday blues???  Well, for me, I just need to incessantly remind myself of how lucky I am.  The world is so much bigger than me and I just can’t allow my somber mood affect those around me….whether they be friends, family or even strangers.  I think it is important to push myself to see all of the good and to give back whatever and whenever I can during this time of year because it is the giving back that fulfills me and gives my life meaning and purpose.

I don’t have a big family.  My life is not made up of big holiday parties with lots of cousins and aunts and uncles.  For holidays it is usually just me, my mom and dad.  I have this longing for a big family and have for quite some time now and I think that plays a big part in the holiday blues that I experience.  I watch movies and talk to friends and see them having these big family gatherings and I don’t have that.  With this being said, I cannot take for granted what I do have.  I have 2 amazing parents that I would not trade for anything and they are getting older (72 and 74).  I pull myself out of the winter blues by doing whatever I can to make them happy.  I will have plenty of holidays without them eventually so now is not the time to fall into a slump of depression or general holiday sadness.  This is what I mean by the world is much bigger than me…it is not about me.  My parents gave me the gift of life and after being selfish for so many years I have learned that it is my turn to give back.  I beat the holiday/winter blues by reminding myself of all of the good instead of focusing on all of the bad.