{"id":243,"date":"2023-12-03T11:34:26","date_gmt":"2023-12-03T19:34:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/laurarothafel.com\/?p=243"},"modified":"2023-12-03T11:57:33","modified_gmt":"2023-12-03T19:57:33","slug":"how-to-conquer-holiday-lunacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.laurarothafel.com\/?p=243","title":{"rendered":"How to Conquer Holiday Lunacy"},"content":{"rendered":"

In my youth, I was perplexed at how the holidays brought out the \u201clunacy\u201d<\/strong> in people. \u00a0I discovered there were, and still are, three main ingredients<\/strong> that trigger this insanity.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"It\u2019s the retail merchants<\/strong> who break out the holiday merchandising displays combined with daylight savings<\/strong> and cooler fall temperatures<\/strong> that propel otherwise normal people down the path of \u00a0\u201clooney-tunes.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The Cuckoo\u2019s Nest?<\/h1>\n

However, as I grew into adulthood with a family I came to understand this \u201cmind-warp. <\/strong>It is all about the yearly challenge to \u201ccreate magic.\u201d<\/strong> It is about the creativity, time, effort<\/strong> and planning<\/strong> it takes to create the \u201cperfect\u201d holiday<\/strong>. \u00a0It is about the excitement, spiritual peace, dread, joy, longing, and sometimes even depression and anxiety that takeover your natural state of being.<\/span><\/p>\n

With the first visual cue of the season comes a barrage of the automatic thoughts with plenty of emotion attached.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s face it. \u00a0It\u2019s about SURVIVAL!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m Not Mary Poppins<\/h1>\n

Granted, there are exceptions to the rule. \u00a0You know the types. \u00a0They have completed all of the \u201cwork part\u201d of the holiday season so they can enjoy it. \u00a0Their decorations are up, the shopping completed, presents wrapped, silver polished, invitations out, dinners planned, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n

While I appreciate these people, it\u2019s just not me.\u00a0 There is no way I will be \u201cpractically perfect in every way\u201d.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Instead, I\u2019ve been motivated to develop strategies<\/strong> that make this time of year enjoyable for me… despite the chaos.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let me share with you a little perspective.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why Do We Create Holiday Insanity?\"\"<\/h1>\n

As a child, the excitement<\/strong> and anticipation <\/strong>for presents is enormous. \u00a0After all, a guy who flies around the world in one night — in a red suit and sleigh pulled by reindeer — hand-delivering presents via the chimney is just way too awesome. \u00a0It was even more amazing when you got exactly what you wanted!<\/span><\/p>\n

We want to recreate and experience the magic.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Most of us have experienced a holiday that felt magical. \u00a0Was it Santa visiting as a child? Maybe it was the beauty of lights on roof tops and trees. \u00a0Perhaps the smell of fresh pine in your house. Or, a time when you gathered with friends and family that made you feel all was \u201cright\u201d in the world. Possibly, the music and celebration in a house of worship that reinforced an emotional connection to something greater.<\/span><\/p>\n

Holidays are meant to be different than regular days. \u00a0They are supposed to stand out and be special. \u00a0But they can\u2019t all be memorable — especially if you have lived through decades of them. \u00a0Some will definitely stand out more than others. \u00a0It is the wanting to make each holiday \u201cas good as\u201d or better than that can create the \u201choliday lunatic\u201d<\/strong> in you. \u00a0Maybe we are re-living our own best childhood experiences (and passing them on) or trying to create what was wanted growing up.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, the pressure is on to plan, organize, give, and go. And you better have a good time!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Tips for Survival<\/h1>\n

✅\u00a0 Understand<\/strong> the purpose<\/strong> of the holiday. \u00a0It is a special way to commemorate a historical person or event, to honor service in others, or it may have religious meaning.<\/span><\/p>\n

✅\u00a0 Choose<\/strong> what traditions and rituals are important and have meaning to you and your family. \u00a0Ask. Don\u2019t assume. Negotiate if there are some differences. Focus on those that are important. Understand that some years, for whatever reason, everything is not going to get done.<\/span><\/p>\n

✅\u00a0 Give yourself permission<\/strong> to make changes!<\/span><\/p>\n

✅\u00a0 Learn to ask for help<\/strong>. \u00a0This does not mean you are a failure. There is joy and camaraderie in doing something together. Share the effort and investment in the process. \u00a0This can reduce resentment.<\/span><\/p>\n

✅\u00a0 Delegate<\/strong> responsibility to others. \u00a0Remember to delegate only the things that you can accept when they are not done your way. If you have children it can be a teaching and bonding experience. Whether it is asking for help with the meal, putting up decorations or shopping, most people will step up. And if they don\u2019t…coal!<\/span><\/p>\n

Remember to surround yourself<\/strong> with people<\/strong> and places<\/strong> that have meaning to you. \u00a0If the holidays are painful for you remember you are not the only one. This is a difficult time of year for many so reach out to your family, friends, clergy or mental health professional. \u00a0It is exhausting whether you are totally engrossed in the holiday season or hiding from it. \u00a0What ever you choose to do this season…ENJOY IT!<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

The work part can be overwhelming which is why most continue to plow through the season from start to finish. \u00a0There is often relief the first week of January, when the parties are over, lights are down and the house is put back in order (if you are lucky).<\/span><\/p>\n

The lunacy is over (til next year).<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In my youth, I was perplexed at how the holidays brought out the \u201clunacy\u201d in people. \u00a0I discovered there were, and still are, three main ingredients that trigger this insanity. It\u2019s the retail merchants who break out the holiday merchandising displays combined with daylight savings and cooler fall temperatures that propel otherwise normal people down…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-243","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.laurarothafel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.laurarothafel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.laurarothafel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.laurarothafel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.laurarothafel.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=243"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.laurarothafel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.laurarothafel.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=243"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.laurarothafel.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=243"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.laurarothafel.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=243"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}