HAPPY Holidays

I don't know if it's all the hustle and bustle, or stressing about money, or the pressure of all the expectations of people, but this holiday season has kind of got me feeling more blue than happy. It's really disconcerting as one would think I would be ecstatic this holiday season. First Christmas with someone special...you know, that person that you've been looking for your whole life...that thing that money can't buy. Love. Yeah, it's kind of a big deal. Anyway, here I am in what should be a super exciting time in my life but somehow I am overwhelmingly just making it by. As always when you are feeling crappy, you end up taking it out on the people you love the most in one way or another. Which in turn means me getting more and more frustrated with myself because that's not who I am or want to be. 

All this was quite unsettling to me, so I started trying to figure out why I felt this way. I racked my brain over and over and couldn't pinpoint just one thing or a root of the madness like I normally can do. I came to the conclusion that is was a bunch of little things that in and of themselves were not so bad but when compiled together ended up adding to one big overwhelming feeling of being stressed. I could go into how we are a selfish and impatient nation, how 1/2 the other people in the world barely have food to eat, and how I should count my blessings and that whole spiel, but I won't. Bottom line is still the same.  How do you stop those holiday blues when it's not any one thing that really needs fixing?

In case any of you feel stuck in a similar rut, as we all tend to do every now and then, I wanted to share something that I have realized and has helped me along the way to get out of the doll drums. For the purpose of this post I only have one point (which might actually be a record for me). So here it is.

No matter how you feel, do things that are healthy and good for you and others. It doesn't matter if you feel like smiling at a stranger, showering, waking up, decorating a tree, going for a run, saying something nice, making a snowman, helping out a friend, etc., do it anyway. Your feelings should never dictate your actions. They should only be indicators, not dictators. 

So how does any of that help send your blues packing? Well, the truth is, your feelings will always follow your actions. Kind of like a glow stick. Your feelings are that trail of light that follows the sticks course and glows the color of what's inside. They can only go where you lead them. Let that marinate for a bit. I'm not gonna lie, it might take a little bit to get the ball rolling...but keep at it. Your feelings will eventually follow. Happiness is a choice and it starts with your actions. If you stop acting miserable there's not gonna be any room to feel miserable. Also a hidden extra bonus is that the more you do something, the easier it gets. So practice being a happy person and it will get easier and easier to be so.  

Though I love Elvis' rendition of "Blue Christmas" I don't want that being the story of my life, and neither should you! I hope this post will help you to have a truly HAPPY holiday!