The holidays can be really overwhelming with the numerous expectations, shopping, crowds, cookies to bake, huge meals to prepare, decorations to put up, let alone family issues. The holidays are a time of year when people expect to have their families around them, for good or bad and that can really be stressful. Whether you have small kids, big kids, no kids, animals, whatever, the holidays can really set us up to have unrealistic expectations of ourselves and our tolerance levels. So when Great Aunt Sue can’t understand why you would cut your hair like that it is time to take a HUGE breath and take a few steps back to remember what is really most important about this time of year. The fact that we have family that drive us crazy is something to be thankful for. Not everyone has family or family that they can visit and that is usually very hard to deal with. The fact that we still have food on the table and gifts (although maybe not as many this year) is also something to be thankful for.

I encourage you all to take some time for yourself this holiday season and really look at what you have going for yourself and how you can make your life even better. Maybe there is something lacking, maybe you need to take better care of yourself like you care for everyone around you. Maybe you need to find some new friendships with people who will value you for you and not what you can give them. Maybe you need to repair some of those relationships that have been neglected over the years. This is the time for some introspection and deep thought about who you are and who you want to be. You have the power, right now, today, to start being the person you want to be. It may take some time to get there and may feel like 2 steps forward 3 steps back, but at least you are stepping! We talk about New Year’s Resolutions, but really they should be New You Resolutions and should be life impacting to help you live the best possible life you can, whatever that is, however it looks to you.

Peace to you all,

Happy Holidays

Carol Agnew, MA, LMFT

Online Counselor

http://www.asktheinternettherapist.com/online_counselor_ag.asp

family, Holidays, New Year's Resolutions, overwhelmed, self care, time for yourself