Where do you go at Christmas?

Christmas conjures joy, pain, excitement and struggle.  Where will you celebrate the holidays?  Do you celebrate?  Is your world so hectic, that there is no celebration?  Just another day, you say?  If it is just another day for you, that is ok.  But it may not be.  It may be associated with the baggage of our upbringing.  It may be our present conditions.  We may be bullied at school.  We may feel that we are having Christmas imposed upon us?  We may be so unhappy that Christmas appears unbearable.  What can you do?  At times one can be so immersed in what is bothering them, that they do not even realise the effects it is having on their body, their relations with others and the sadness, irritations ect...that my be overpowering.  Some time one needs a little bit of help to be able to step back and examine what is going on with them.  So often people are criticised, bullied, assaulted through no fault of their own.  They are usually blamed for the assaults as if they merit them.  This is not so.  If you are being bullied, demeaned, suffering mental or physical abuse, please don't ever think you deserve it.  You don't.  Why don't you take a few minutes to write down things that you like about yourself.  What would you write if you were looking for a job.  What good things have some people told you about yourself.  Do you believe them?  Why not?  Sometimes one can be so consumed about the bad things that happen, that the good things can no longer seem possible.  You cannot change other people when they don't live up to your expectations, but you can make the changes yourself.  If you are in an abusive relationship and you cannot leave right now, prepare an emergency escape plan (I will talk more about that after Christmas).  If you are unhappy with your family and change seems impossible, consider your options.  If you feel bad about yourself, ask yourself why.  A psychology professor once said that we are never the same.  We are always changing.  From one minute to the next something happens in that moment that changes us.  In that moment we may learn something new, we may experience something bad, we may meet a new person, we may see something different.  Ultimately we grow, change and are a product of everything that has happened to us.  Why not ponder today?  Who are you?  Who would you like to be?  How do you get there?  Why are you not there?  Is it possible to go there?  Why not?  What changes can you make that are good for you?  Are you happy with your friends, families, living situation?  Why not?  What changes can you make?  What is restricting you?  This Christmas where will you be?  Where do you want to be?  Why are you not going there?  While you explore this, feel what is going on inside you.  Pay attention to what your body is telling you.  Do you feel like crying?  Is there a sense of doom?  Did you notice something new?  Explore your emotions.
What do you think?