I have found that for many people holidays are attached with strong emotions. Many people find that they do not enjoy holidays as much as they want to. Depression instead of happiness at these times of year is common. Holidays can be a stressful time of year for many reasons. All of these reasons have one thing in common and that is expectation.

Expectations are what we have been conditioned to believe something is supposed to be. The very nature of the word expectation is that of judgment. We have an expectation of what the holidays should be and if that expectation and the reality do not match we are disappointed and therefore depressed. These disappointments can encompass all parts of our lives and cause us to feel depressed.

In place of expectations I recommend preferences. When we have a preference it means that we know what we like yet do not need it. The word preference means that we are happy no matter what happens. Knowing what we like and not experiencing it has no influence on our happiness. This eliminates all judgments.

Most of us feel that we need a reason to celebrate. Holidays are good ways to acknowledge what we lack on most days. Holidays by design are an attempt to have what we lack in everyday life. We can enjoy the holidays more by incorporating there intentions into more than just one day a year. Instead of celebrating our birthday once a year we can do this every day. Instead of being thankful for what we have on thanksgiving we can do this every day. By spreading the intention of the holidays throughout the year we reduce the pressure we feel to live up to holiday our expectations.

I hope you have found this little article to be helpful in understanding holiday stress. In my practice I can help support and guide you to a healthier and therefore happier holiday experience. I encourage you to choose to have happy holidays.