In every company that celebrates the New Year, there is someone who does not have fun with the rest. Why does the holiday spirit not visit everyone? And how can you help yourself if you’re sad?
In our homes, festive garlands are already burning, Christmas trees are sparkling with toys. In the feeds of social networks, posts about the results of the outgoing year and plans for the new one flicker every now and then. The holiday is getting closer and closer. But some of us have trouble with the mood. And this is understandable: the year was difficult, full of restrictions and losses.
There is no holiday spirit. And what is there instead? And can this state be changed?
1. Fatigue
For 2020, we are very tired and want to relax. For some, this means cutting salads, welcoming guests, singing songs and dancing until morning. But perhaps you are not one of them. If instead of a festive mood inside, only a feeling of fatigue, ask yourself: what will help you truly relax and switch?
What to do?
- Make a list of things to do that will cheer you up and help you rejuvenate.
- Build one of these things into your daily routine every day.
- Do at least one thing from the list right in the near future.
2. Uncertainty about the future
We still find it difficult to come to terms with uncertainty. We are not sure of anything, we cannot plan anything in advance. How to prepare for the holidays in such a mood? Try to look at the situation differently — after all, there is something in the future that we are able to influence.
What to do?
- Travel around your hometown. Surely there are a lot of places near you where you have not had time to visit, although you have long dreamed about it.
- Write a list of books and movies you can watch over the long weekend. Set a goal to meditate every day or exercise in the morning.
- Make a plan for the coming days: what New Year’s movies to watch, what to include in the holiday and post-holiday menu, how to dress up for a meeting with relatives.
3. Disappointment
Perhaps you don’t have a festive mood, because you understand that you won’t be able to celebrate the New Year, as you dreamed, again. Or you can clearly realize in the pre-holiday days: you again did not achieve the goals that you set for yourself. Or maybe it upsets you that everything will again be as always — tangerines, Olivier, mother, children, sleep at one in the morning …
What to do?
- First, grieve heartily over failed plans and unachieved goals. And then think about what you can think of in the current conditions — how to end the outgoing year, how to meet the new one, what to strive for next.
- Remember what you did in the past year to achieve your goals. Even if the end point of the path is still far away, you have not stood still. And if they were, then why? What hindered? It is possible that last year’s goal simply ceased to matter to you. Which means it’s time for a new one. Or take a breath and give yourself a chance next year to plan steps that you can actually follow.
- If you are tired of celebrating the New Year the same way every time, listen to yourself — what would you like? And do not rely on the opinions of others — create your own holiday with your own hands.
Do not force yourself to rejoice, do not force smiles. It’s better to be sad but real. Explain to your loved ones why you are not in the mood, because feelings are normal, even if they are not what you expect from yourself on a holiday.
And this does not mean at all that others cannot rejoice. After all, you can be happy for them. And there, who knows … After all, the mood can always change.