Overcome Depression During The Holidays

Holidays are a time for reflection. We reminisce on days gone past and remember how we were the ones being taken care and now that we are adults, we have to take care of ourselves. Want to crawl back inside the crib and wear a baby bib, don’t you? I know. Sometimes I do too but that’s unrealistic so we’ll tackle the depression that comes with this awesome responsibility of adulthood, one step at a time.

Your mood is YOUR choice – If you decide to bury yourself in the covers meditating on everything you perceive to be wrong with your life then that is your choice. Your mood is your choice. Your emotions are your choice. You CHOOSE your mood and emotions in each moment by what you choose to think about or focus on. If you want to continue the mood you are in because it is comforting, by all means, go ahead and sulk. When you are ready, you’ll move forward to step number two.

Remember the good times – Someone did something especially sweet for you last month. Your birthday was a blast wasn’t it? What about that joke you read on facebook that had you laughing so hard, drool dribbled down your chin? These are all good memories to switch to if you want to shift your mood. You should keep a “trigger memory” handy for those times when you catch your focus shifting to lack and fear. When you notice your mood shift, simply press your “trigger” and laugh about that time your sister found your vibrator and showed it to your Mom. Press your trigger as many times as you need to. People will look at you and wonder what’s going on with you, but this will uplift your mood tremendously and everyone will wonder what’s got you buzzing.

Take Inventory of What’s Missing – You can take the time to focus on what you believe is missing from your life; those things you believe will make you happy. Then you can imagine what your life will be once you have those things. Write a story about what it will be like to have and hold the woman of your dreams or what it would be like to drive that new Infinity Coupe. What does that new home you’ve been dreaming of look like? What is that vacation spot you’ve been wanting to visit look like? Who is around you? What do you hear? Who is there to celebrate with you? How many people are happy for you? What will the comments be like on facebook when you update your friends about your good fortune? FEEL it. FEEL IT right now before it happens. Experience the joy of having it now. Your current “lack” is only an indicator of what you will have next.

Lay another brick – You know what’s missing and you know you can have it so take the next step toward getting it. Write that next chapter of your novel. Take that business course. Brush up on your Spanish for your trip to Brazil. Enroll in school. Elevate yourself. One day at a time. One brick at a time.

Your life is not miserable. You are only experiencing misery because you want to. You have not because you think you can not have what you want. You CAN. You WILL.

Go get it!