What are the HOLIDAYS, really.

 

DEFINITION OF HOLIDAY - a time when someone does not go to work or school but is free to do what they want, such as travel or relax.

The truth is the holidays can be painful. Even though statistics say that depression rates DO NOT rise during the holidays, it still does not discount the fact that they are prevalent.  We tell ourselves that giving is a way of giving back to ourselves, to perhaps fill our own voids.  Sometimes that works. 

We know there is a therapeutic component to giving and that does help with watering our own spiritual garden however sometimes it can a struggle and that is reality.   Some of us might feel this pressure…the need to give, let’s face it…it can be exhausting. Particularly when we are in so much in need ourselves who doesn’t want to be selfish at times?   WHAT ABOUT ME?

This spirit of giving that is thrust upon is coupled with stressors.

We contemplate how are we are going to make do with all of the obligations, right?  Who’s house am I I going to and what will I bring?   Am I going to be able to put a smile on while I do it? 

Do I really need to be eating this apple cobbler right now? I spent the last 10 months starving just to get this weight off, am I really about to commit self-sabotage?  What family member is going to bring drama and how are we going to handle that?  Do we just need to count down how long it will take for the volcano to erupt?

And there is the holiday spending fiasco. After the the rush to the market for Thanksgiving we are back at it scrambling to make purchases with money we REALLY don’t have?  Who are what I am I trying to prove?  Let alone the Pandemic, I was struggling WAY before that so now I am in this conundrum and pressure to show with a smile that ALL IS GOOD and I can purchase that BLACK FRIDAY TV!!! (sidebar, why are there so many TVs for sale.  Shouldn’t everyone on the planet have one by now?)

I know it does not sound pleasant, but the truth is this is unfortunately the holiday for MANY PEOPLE.  A lack of time and money, credit card debt, and the pressure of gift giving can often contribute to stress during the holiday season.  A carol here, a holiday movie there and maybe a chuckle at a family game night helps with masquerade, however how much?

Here’s the thing….or rather the THINK because I think you get my point.

We do not have to BE any of these.  Maybe no one has told you, but you are really not responsible for anyone’s happiness…. other than your own.  When we focus on what is important, what is important, it resides within us!  Each and every one of us is is longing for it whether we know it or not.  We crave either secretly or otherwise for compassion and love of self.   We want to be loved, nurtured and secure.   The problem is we look for it in the wrong place.  We should be looking INSIDE, our heart, our soul, our minds that is it.  Here is what happens when we do.  We permeate that which we are…. LOVE, COMPASSION and SECURITY💓.  It comes from our pores as we walk this beautiful planet. We are then capable of greeting others with a sincere smile as we GIVE with a genuine open hand. We are secure because we NOW know what it means to be ground, completely grounded with self-assurance. We are going to be OKAY no matter what!  Can you imagine if we were to multiply this exercise in self-realization by the millions of persons on this planet? We would not only save ourselves from the harm we impose with unhealthy habits, but we also then save the earth from destruction we put upon her every day.  We can make an ENORMOUS difference, and that is what counts!!!!!

It is time to redefine what the term HOLIDAY means to us.  It is necessary for our survival quite frankly.  We owe ourselves the right to be in our own cavern of grace and love.   

It is about family for certain.  We do love seeing them and catching up and being in a space of joy. We are all seeking JOY.  We can however make the conscious effort even more so in these unprecedented times to sit next to a family member while reflecting on how YOU are your own center of joy. We do not really need permission to do anything.  We own the right to smile, to laugh and to BE in whatever space we are in. The next gathering you join make it about self-reflection when you smile. I always like to say…SMILE, it makes people wonder what you have been up to!

You have 24 hours each day. Ensure that you’re using them wisely!

Leslie Crudup is Owner of LCrudup Coaching and loves keeping busy if it helps people with their dreams!

www.lcrudupcoaching.com

#busyleslie #beaxtraordinary #beabrilliant