Escaping the commercialism (and depression) of the holidays (Part 1 of 5)
Ever wonder how to escape the commercialism (and depression) of the holidays?
(Heads up: It’s a little longer today, but worth the read.)
The older I get, the more frustrated I become by wasted time and especially wasted holiday time. There is nothing more frustrating to me than being left flat with post-holiday blues from the exhaustion, overeating and overspending on things during the holidays just because that is what we have always done and you don’t have a better plan.
Joel has always shared with me…”If you don’t have a plan, someone else will give you theirs.”
And I am sure I am not alone in this…but I am so sick of adopting the media’s plan or even just family traditions that don’t work for me and my values, for my holidays. These days are meant to be holi – days, days set apart.
Remember I shared a few weeks ago…Those that control the narrative, control the people.
What is the narrative right now???
…Fear from the continual reports of threats of the pandemic resulting in less opportunities to be with those you love and then how convenient … the material solutions stuffed down our throats from our screens to distract and ease your fears and fill the gaps of your absence … STUFF to be purchased to “make you happy” … WOW, don’t I sound cynical? 😳
Sounds like that perfect recipe for overindulgence, overspending, overeating, guilt and depression if you ask me.
So what can we do this year to really help escape the commercialism and depression that with added travel restrictions could really drive us to a bad place and sadly allow these holidays to be yet one more disappointment to add to 2020?
How you could actually have one of the best holidays ever in terms of your own personal joy? (Wouldn’t that be just a kick in the pants to 2020? 😊)
Quick Note: Remember happiness comes from happenings (external); joy comes up from within (internal). And since we cannot control the externals, I invite you to consider the sound practice of controlling the internals with me over the next few weeks.
What if you could end the year feeling so filled up?
So rich?
Healthier?
Energized?
So connected to others?
Enjoying the extravagant feeling of warmth and joy the season was intended to supply?
Interested? Then stay with me over the next few weeks.
I have recently been studying and contemplating the concept of giving from a scientific as well as spiritual point of view. Seems appropriate for this time of year, right?
So over the course of the next few weeks, I am going to share a handful of my personal AHA’s and research-based reasons that giving is good…for YOU!
New studies attest to the benefits of giving, not just to recipients but truly for the givers health, personal joy and entire communities. In fact, an article from UC Berkley has identified 5 specific benefits derived from scientific studies of giving which we will explore over the next few weeks. So how better to inoculate ourselves from the potential peril of this strange 2020 holiday season.
The first thing they site from a study at Harvard Business School (of all places) is that:
#1 (of 5): Giving makes us feel Happy! Now that may not be news to you, but read on for maximum benefit.
Giving to someone else lifted participants happiness levels MORE than spending money on themselves. Think about your own ROI with this for a moment. Why not try something they did?
They measured this through a social experiment they did that I’d love to invite you to join.
What if you did 5 acts of kindness (out of the norm) each week from now through January 4th? That would be 20 acts of kindness times all of those reading this who chose to accept this 30-day Joy Challenge.
We could make a pretty big dent in our own depression rate over these holidays and who knows – who we could touch? Because the region of the brain that gets activated is: pleasure center, social connection and trust; those are the areas that create the warm glow and get activated inside each of us. Ahhh, you know that feeling we are all striving for during the holidays. 😊
And that is just 1 of 5 ways we will discuss to create a holiday worth remembering.
So who’s in? Who wants to join me creating a new plan for this holiday season? One that actually helps us escape the commercialism and the depression and brings joy, health and meaningful connection to us and those around us. Just reply with “I’m in” in the comments below so we can start to pray for your personal joy and let’s change history this year starting with our own.
Stay tuned for the 2nd benefit.
To your JOY-filled Holi – Days !
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