This Wednesday: Nine tips for lifting yourself out of the holiday blues.

Every Wednesday is Tip Day.
This Wednesday: Nine tips for lifting yourself out of the holiday blues.

’Tis the season to celebrate – and also the season to feel overwhelmed, lonely, angry, irritated, and rushed.

Here are nine tips for keeping yourself feeling happy during the holiday period.

1. Get enough sleep. Turns out that, although it seems like a minor life issue, not getting enough sleep is a major disturber of people’s moods. Jet lag, traveling, parties, and over-excited children all make it hard to get your usual number of hours. Making an effort to get to bed at a decent hour really pays off.

2. Exercise. Studies show that one of the quickest and surest ways to boost your mood is to exercise. If you’re away from home and can’t do your usual routine, even a short walk will help. Even better…

3. Go outside to exercise. Or at least go outside. Light deprivation is one reason that people feel tired. Research suggests that light stimulates brain chemicals that improve mood and focus. For an extra boost, get your sunlight first thing in the morning

4. Stay in control of your eating. It seems to me that guilt about holiday binging is a major source of the blues. For that reason, I’m CONSIDERING resolving not to eat any sweets during the Christmas holiday. It’s usually easier for me to abstain than to be temperate. It seems Scrooge-ish not to have gingerbread cookies or bites of a Winstead’s Frosty, but I think I would be happier if I weren’t worrying about it.

5. Don’t rush around. Hurrying to pack, rushing through stores, sprinting to make a flight – these are sure to put you in a bad mood. Give yourself plenty of time. Do a few errands or buy a few presents each day, starting now. I get out a suitcase a week before we leave for Kansas City, and I toss items in as soon as I think of them.

6. Learn from the past. What has made you unhappy in years of old? Think back. Avoid your triggers. Stay out of the kitchen, stay out of the mall, stay away from Uncle Billy – sometimes there’s a weird triumphant satisfaction in getting worked up, yet again, by a particular situation. Don’t do it! Don’t expose yourself to known happiness risks.

7. Make time for real fun. Sometimes holiday vacations, which are supposed to be “fun,” are actually just a huge hassle. Figure out ways to have fun. In my family, we decided to reduce gift-giving. All the adults “draw” for each other’s names, and we each buy stocking presents for just one other person. Also, include time for things YOU like to do: going to a movie, taking a nap while everyone else goes skating, going to the gym. I plan to spend a lot of time drinking coffee with my sister.

8. Behave yourself! If you sulk, snap, tease, or shirk, you’re not going to feel happy. It may feel good, but only for a moment. Then you’re going to feel bad. Instead, try to help out, bite your tongue, clean up, or run to the store. Look for opportunities to say, “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it,” or “This is fine,” or “What should I be doing?” Do good, feel good—this really works! The way we feel reflect the way we act, so if you act in an affectionate way, you’ll feel more affectionate.

9. Fill your heart with love. Remember the Twelfth Commandment (see left column): “There is only love.” If you’re heading into a difficult situation, take a moment to fill your heart with love. Think of all the reasons that you’re grateful to your family, and the happy memories you’ve shared, and how things might look from other people's perspectives. This can be very hard to do, but it will make you happier. And if you’re happy, you’re going to be better able to make other people happy. That is the mystery of the Second Splendid Truth.

Remember, holidays are supposed to be a time of peace, love, and fun -- and we can't bicker, complain, and nag our way there. Figure out what YOU need to do to keep a holiday spirit. Number One on my personal list: the Little Girl MUST HAVE HER NAP. All else pales in comparison.

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I love the excellent site Gimundo, so it was a thrill to see the Happiness Project listed in Kathryn Hawkins's round-up on Simple Steps to Happiness. She lists several great Internet sites on happiness, all of which I read and agree are worth checking out.

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Comments

[Mrs. Micah]

Amen for sleep. Whenever I don't get enough it just destroys my day!

[Colleen]

Check out this site to see how happy you are in your job: www.jobsite.co.uk/happydays

[Kathryn]

I seem to remember that the common wisdom that people gain a lot of weight between Thanksgiving and January had recently been debunked? So instead of giving up the cookies, maybe you can just give up the guilt.

[Kathryn]

Kathryn - weight gain is still common between Thanksgiving and January. What was debunked was the amount of weight gain was not as high as was commonly thought. The real message of that research was that while only 1 to 3 pounds was gained during the holiday period, by March most people hadn't lost those extra few pounds. Finding ways to enjoy physical activity through the holidays then maintaining regular physical activity in the new year might be the better focus.

[Heather at Grace303]

This is such a helpful post. Thank you for the good pointers.

[Heather at Grace303]

This is such a helpful post. Thank you for the good pointers.

[Megan]

"Make Time for Real Fun" I'm struggling with what it means (for me) to have fun. People have told me most of my adult life to just loosen up and have fun. Take a deep breath, relax, and have fun. Have fun, have fun, have fun... relax, relax, relax. Can I safely share that I'm getting stressed out thinking I may not know "how" to have fun?! Egads... I need to figure out what having fun means. What does it mean and how can I do it?!

As always, I love your blog, Gretchen - thanks for doing what you do.

[Middie]

"Behave Yourself" sounds a lot like blaming the victim. Roll over and take it? Might be good for getting by, but it's no way to live, and it's horrible advice.