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!
I'm struck by your comment, "Your feelings should never dictate your actions, They should only be indicators, not dictators." A valid observation in the context to which you allude as an example to do positive things even if you really don't feel like doing it. Yes, is good for the fellow receiving the kind action and is good for the soul of the giver. But of course, there has always been in human behavior the internal battle between acting on your feelings, on impulse, or following an established norm. It is a basic distinction between humans and the rest of the animal kingdom. Humans control their feelings, an often do not act on emotions. It is often the distinction beween sanity and madness. But in truth, I believe that emotions play a significant role in our behavior (our actions) and often dictate our actions. A positive emotion may lead to a good action that perhaps was not intended but was born out of a sudden reaction. Of course, a negative emotion dictating our action is what really gets us into trouble. All of us, unless, a robot have experienced uncontrollable actions dictated by feelings, extreme feelings of rage, hate or even passion.
ReplyDeleteThe whole spectrum of human emotions as complex and as diverse as it is works with our rationality, our sense of good and bad, our own nature and our upbringng. So if ideally as you say feelings should be indicators, guides to our on actions, and often are guides to our own behavior, emotions dictate our actions and our reactions perhaps just as often. Is the eternal struggle of an imperfect world, and obviously what makes each on of us so unique. "Bernie."