Get through the Holiday Blues
Did you know there is no proof that the holidays increase our feelings of depression or “blues”? That actually, it’s the stories we have associated with the holidays that are the culprits! Whether you’re up on the latest scientific studies or not, this is GREAT news. Because according to leading research scientists like Dawson Church and Jeff Schweitzer, these old beliefs need to be “fed” in order to be activated, so it’s simply a matter of identifying and changing the meaning we have assigned to these stories and beliefs. We hold the power to lift the fog, making room to choose something preferable!
For some of us this may come as a shock or even seem absurd, the idea that we can control what we think. Others may understand that just because your mind tells you something doesn’t mean it’s true. Wherever you fall in the spectrum, one thing is sure: our mind and ego are slippery little suckers, and there could be all kinds of reasons we are unconsciously attached to our blues songs! This might complicate matters if the overriding truth weren’t more true: that you can control where you place your attention. How badly you want to feel different will determine your level of enthusiasm to apply the following techniques (or add them to your existing practice).
Essential Truth number 4: Put only good things in your mind!
1.Identify what your belief or the story you’re telling yourself (and everyone else) is about the holidays
Here are some common thought patterns and beliefs:
You just plain hate the holidays
It’s all commercial and contrived
It’s lost its real meaning
Too much going on, you are overwhelmed
You’re broke or embarrassed you can’t buy the gifts you want
Worried what will other people think
Are single (and wish you weren’t)
Everyone else’s life seems better than yours
Someone is missing this year and you can’t imagine the holidays without them
Your family is difficult or “crazy”
Fill in the blanks_________
2.Ask yourself: is this belief or story making me feel good or bad?
3.What else is true? Example: I didn’t always hate the holidays; I notice I only hate the holidays when I think about________; my mother hated the holidays too (maybe that’s her story).
4.Pull the microscope back and explore all the other things that are true as well. Like: I’m single but when I was married I was also miserable sometimes during the holidays; what a great time to meet someone new; it’s so fun going to parties and seeing who else is “out there” and single too.
5.Then pick a few “replacement or “upgraded” thoughts and notice how those thoughts make you feel.
6.Repeat until you have a few good candidates and then entertain those instead.
7.Whenever you notice the old thought, replace with your chosen new one(s)!!!
And really, it’s that simple! As neuro-anatomist Jill Bolte Taylor says, “We must tend to the garden of the mind.”
Email us at info@maryannelive.com and let us know how you do; we’d love to pass on your success or suggestions on how to turn these blues around and into opportunities for something preferable!
Go online to www.mayannelive.com and get a copy of my 7 Essential Truths CD; find out more about putting only good things in your mind!
For some of us this may come as a shock or even seem absurd, the idea that we can control what we think. Others may understand that just because your mind tells you something doesn’t mean it’s true. Wherever you fall in the spectrum, one thing is sure: our mind and ego are slippery little suckers, and there could be all kinds of reasons we are unconsciously attached to our blues songs! This might complicate matters if the overriding truth weren’t more true: that you can control where you place your attention. How badly you want to feel different will determine your level of enthusiasm to apply the following techniques (or add them to your existing practice).
Essential Truth number 4: Put only good things in your mind!
1.Identify what your belief or the story you’re telling yourself (and everyone else) is about the holidays
Here are some common thought patterns and beliefs:
You just plain hate the holidays
It’s all commercial and contrived
It’s lost its real meaning
Too much going on, you are overwhelmed
You’re broke or embarrassed you can’t buy the gifts you want
Worried what will other people think
Are single (and wish you weren’t)
Everyone else’s life seems better than yours
Someone is missing this year and you can’t imagine the holidays without them
Your family is difficult or “crazy”
Fill in the blanks_________
2.Ask yourself: is this belief or story making me feel good or bad?
3.What else is true? Example: I didn’t always hate the holidays; I notice I only hate the holidays when I think about________; my mother hated the holidays too (maybe that’s her story).
4.Pull the microscope back and explore all the other things that are true as well. Like: I’m single but when I was married I was also miserable sometimes during the holidays; what a great time to meet someone new; it’s so fun going to parties and seeing who else is “out there” and single too.
5.Then pick a few “replacement or “upgraded” thoughts and notice how those thoughts make you feel.
6.Repeat until you have a few good candidates and then entertain those instead.
7.Whenever you notice the old thought, replace with your chosen new one(s)!!!
And really, it’s that simple! As neuro-anatomist Jill Bolte Taylor says, “We must tend to the garden of the mind.”
Email us at info@maryannelive.com and let us know how you do; we’d love to pass on your success or suggestions on how to turn these blues around and into opportunities for something preferable!
Go online to www.mayannelive.com and get a copy of my 7 Essential Truths CD; find out more about putting only good things in your mind!
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