Don't worry, this is NOT another "Be Merry!" message.
But I am going to wish you this...
Okay, I'm just going to come out and say it: This time of year can be anything but merry for a lot of people.
Before you think I've turned into Jim Carrey's Green Grinch, let it be known that I love spontaneous gift-giving, chilled-out celebrating, along with feasting on my favourite foods and lounging like a cat in my PJs all summer day long.
What I'm not so keen on is the in-built, catalogue-timed pressure and expectation that goes hand-in-hand with the holiday season.
We're sold a lot of glitzy images of how we should feel and what we should be doing, and for people who are feeling anything but that way (for a myriad of reasons), there can be a deep feeling of isolation and alienation: Everyone else is having a good time... What's wrong with me?
(It's kind of like the whole world playing fancy dress, and you've rocked up to the party in your daggy only-wear-when-I'm-home-alone clothes. Of course you're going to feel like the odd one out!)
Depending on your views, beliefs, past experiences or current life situation, the holiday season can be either really comforting OR confronting, highlighting:
How close or distant we are to family, friends or loved ones
The unspoken obligation to act, behave or be a certain way
What we don't have or what we've lost (e.g. the end of a relationship)
If you're feeling rattled, pressured, saddened, stressed or just plain tired, then please know I get it and I totally honour how you feel right now. There is deep human beauty in being honest with yourself and others, being brave enough to say: "Yep, I'm just not feeling it, and that's okay."
Personally, I love your uniqueness, I love your humanity and your sensitivity, I love that you look at the world through original and enquiring eyes. (I also really appreciate you taking the time to read my un-merry, yet HEART-FILLED message.)
So beautiful reader, I'm NOT going to wish you a merry, happy or joy-filled time, because I think you're getting enough of that message elsewhere, and by elsewhere, I mean everywhere.
What I am going to wish for you is this: Completely honour who you are and where you are right now. Give the proverbial finger to all those holiday pressures dictating how you should be or what you should feel.
(And by proverbial I mean metaphorically speaking, so please don't go around "flipping the bird" at other people's idea of festive fun!)
If you feel like an extra dose of self-soothing for being the "odd one out," for being the one who "doesn't play well with others" or "messes up" family traditions, then check out my article: Go Your Own Way
I'll leave you now with one of my favourite song choruses from 1970 Australian Super Band - The Master's Apprentices:
Keep listening to your body and trusting your wise self,
Lauren x
P.S. This is my last blog for 2020. Words only come alive when they're read and received, so a fuzzy big-hearted *THANK YOU* for reading and sharing in the unforgettable year that's been. XOX
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