The holiday season can be a difficult time of the year for some people, especially those that have suffered loss or have financial woes. While everyone around them is brimming with holiday cheer, they are feeling down and depressed. If you are one of those people, you are probably dreading the holidays. But you don't have to let Scrooge syndrome get the best of you. Each day is a new day filled with new opportunities. You can make the best of the holiday season if you just let yourself see the blessings in the smallest things.
If you're really feeling negative, you may ask what blessings there are to be seen. They're all around us. We just have to pay attention. You are blessed if you have a place to live. Unfortunately, there are many people that are homeless.You are blessed if you have a holiday meal, since some may not. If you've recently lost a job, but be thankful if you are healthy enough to look for a new job, and work when you find employment. Perhaps you don't have a large circle of friends, but you are blessed if you have one good friend. One true friend is more of a blessing that having a large circle of acquaintances.
If you don't want to celebrate the holidays because you've lost a spouse or family member, keep in mind that your loved one would not want you to be miserable. They would not want you to stay stagnant in your grief. Your loved one would want you to move forward and live your life to the fullest. Seeing you depressed and miserable would make them feel bad too. They would want the best for you. So if you are having a hard time moving forward, do it because it is what they would want you to do.
One way to get in the holiday spirit is to do something to help others. Even though your situation may be bad, there is always someone out there who has worse circumstances. You help yourself when you help someone else. Good deeds are good for the soul. Instead of sitting around feeling depressed this holiday season, get out there and help others in need. Volunteer at a soup kitchen or visit people confined to a nursing home. Donate toys for needy children, food for the hungry, food, litter or other items to an animal shelter. Donate your time if you can't afford to purchase items. Help deliver meals to the sick or elderly. There are many ways to bring a little cheer into the lives of others during the holiday season, and the cheer you bring to others will also fill your own heart.
Once you've found your holiday cheer, don't save it just for the holiday season. Keep your heart filled with cheer all year long. Spread that cheer to others through uplifting words and small acts of kindness as often as possible. Spreading cheer to others will help instill a positive attitude that will become a part of your natural personality. Positive thoughts and deeds done for others will also bring blessings into your own life. It's important to live life with an attitude of gratitude. Being grateful for what you already have will help bring more positive benefits into your life. After all, if you're not thankful for what you have, why would God or the universal source bring you more? Be thankful for the blessings in your life. Believe that you will be blessed. Be a blessing in the lives of others. Good deeds and a joyous heart will return to you in abundance.