Got the Blues?

Got the Blues?

This time of year can be beastly for so many, for so many reasons. Especially if we’ve got the blues.

Have you noticed that? Perhaps you’ve even experienced it for yourself.

It can be difficult to get through the various holiday festivities when we’re dealing with personal issues that drag us into a downward spiral. It can be rough when we feel like crying and the scenes surrounding us are filled with happy, smiling people.. I understand. I truly do.

Holiday Blues

According to many studies, holidays increase feelings of loneliness and despair. The reasons are varied. Perhaps we’ve lost loved ones. Maybe our high expectations of renewed happiness during the holidays didn’t materialize.

It could be we’re still waiting for unfulfilled dreams to become a reality.

Throw in SAD, Seasonal Adjustment Disorder, and some of us may feel like hibernating until springtime.

Several widows in my acquaintance will spend their first holiday without their mates this year. For others, this isn’t their first Thanksgiving or Christmas alone, but that doesn’t make it easy.

Many who lost so much due to hurricanes, floods, and fires this past year are still trying to get their bearings. It’s daunting.

There are countless tales of broken dreams. Lost loved ones. Unfulfilled desires. Messed up plans. All of which the holidays only seem to magnify.

So, how do we manage to put one foot in front of the other during times when things just seem so wrong?

Several Suggestions

The following suggestions are by no means thus sayeth. They are merely observations I’ve made over the years. Both in my life and in the lives of others.

Limiting time spent on social media where everyone’s perfect lives, perfectly decorated homes, and perfect children, are on display is huge.

Stay away from the Hallmark Channel. Even if the guy gets the girl by the end of the movie, and maybe because the guy gets the girl, those movies can be depressing.

Especially when we feel like everyone has a wonderful life except us.

Watch something funny, something uplifting. Watch The Princess Bride for the umpteenth time. Inconceivable! Watch a musical, just not The King and I. The ending makes me cry every time.

Lose yourself in a mystery whether it be a book or movie. How about watching Foyle’s War or Father Brown? Maybe read a novel by Ken Follett. Can you tell I like historical fiction with a touch of mystery?

Listen to music you enjoy. It doesn’t have to be seasonal music. One suggestion – if you’re really in a funk, listen to something snappy that sets your feet tapping, that you can sing out loud.

Avoid those beautiful ballads like, “My Heart Will Go On” and “The Way We Were”. Unless you really need to cry it out. If that’s the case, set a limit to how long you’ll give yourself to feel the pain.

Go to free holiday events. Window shop. People-watch. Drive around the neighborhood and look at holiday lights.

Volunteer for a worthy cause and get your mind off yourself.

Make New Traditions

Life is not static. It moves and flows with each breath we take. It’s okay to change things up a bit when we’ve got the blues. If it doesn’t work, then try something different.

Make new traditions if you need to. Always gone to The Nutcracker Ballet? Maybe this is the year to let Clara and the Mouse King battle it out without you.

During one particularly difficult season in my life, my middle-school-aged son and I went on a cruise to the Bahamas the week before Christmas, returning on Christmas Day. We had a wonderful time. He especially enjoyed meeting the Captain of the ship. I enjoyed sightseeing at the various ports of call.

Once we returned home, we lit candles, played Christmas music, turned on the Christmas tree lights, opened presents, talked about our cruise, and ate junk food. Not one piece of china or crystal graced our t.v. trays that day.

Remember the Reasons for the Holidays

However we choose to move through the holiday blues, some things will never change.

Thanksgiving will always be a time to pause and say thanks.

A time to be grateful to our loving God. A God who never leaves or forsakes us. It will always be a time to be thankful for all he has done, is doing, and will do. Even in the midst of our most troubling times.

God’s mercies are new every morning. Great is his faithfulness. He loves us with an everlasting love and proves himself over and over.

Christmas will always be a time to celebrate the fact that Jesus left his throne in heaven for us. He came to this earth as a helpless infant, dependent on two imperfect human parents to raise him in a world full of darkness.

Because Jesus is our High Priest who understands what it’s like to be us, he understands when we’ve got the blues. He understands the loss, the pain, the loneliness we sometimes feel.

Your Turn

No matter where we might find ourselves right now, God understands.

If you’re struggling, please know I’m praying God’s peace which passes all understanding will surround and comfort you.

What helps you when you’ve got the holiday blues?

Additional posts on finding peace in our pain can be found here and here.

I wish you well.

Sandy

Pictures courtesy Pixabay.