Alicia and I bonded in Fitblog over our mutual love of crepes (although we are both gluten free now…go figure).  She is as sweet in person and her shows it.  Enjoy this guest post which resonates so well with me.

Happy Holidays!!! Merry Christmas!!! Peace to all and good will towards men!!!

If you’re anything like me, you might be getting a bit exhausted of all those exclamation points this time of year. If you are a frequent reader over at my blog – Poise in Parma – you know that I’ve recently been struggling with managing depression and anxiety this fall. With that said, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that it’s taken a lot for me to get excited about the holiday season. But I’m no Grinch and am doing my best to keep out of the grasps of negative thoughts and practices. For me, those include…

Get decorating.

Sometimes all it takes is dragging out your holiday decorations from the attic and to change your surroundings. It doesn’t take much – for my family, we simply put up our Christmas tree, our stockings, a few wreaths and a bunch of mistletoe. It took less than a half of an hour, but the glow of our tree makes the dreary early evenings a bit more bright.

Get moving.

Sure, I’ll always approve a good sweat session at your gym, but even just some moderate exercise will do. Take your pup for a walk. Do your holiday shopping at an outdoor location. Clean your house in prep for the in-laws. Most likely you’ll accomplish something while you’re moving and you’ll have something to add to your “ta da” list.

Get social.

Usually, it’s not a problem to find some festive gathering to attend during this time of year. Speaking of cookies, on behalf of the Ohio Blogging Association, I organized a gathering of nearly 20 bloggers to participate in a holiday cookie swap. Knowing that I’d be getting together with some of my favorite local bloggers and friends made me incredibly excited to prep for the party that evening.

Get to positive thinking.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed this time of year. For me, that feeling then leads to thoughts of inadequacy. Instead, I like to use the tactics of cognitive behavioral therapy to spin my negative thoughts into positive ones. “I’m never going to find the right present for my brother” becomes “I’m grateful to be able to purchase something to show my appreciation to my brother for all that he does for me.” When you spin it to the positive, I believe law of attraction then will bring you to find what you need – in this case, an awesome present for a loved one.

Get realistic.

You may feel like you’re never going to accomplish all your tasks, be able to see everyone and get to enjoy the holiday season before it’s over. Are you spreading yourself too thin? Expecting too much from yourself? Step back and examine what you’ve put on your plate. I’m sure there are some things that can be done once the calendar hits 2012. And you know what – if those things don’t get done, I’m sure your holidays will be just as fabulous without them!

LONG STORY SHORT:

Not every moment between Thanksgiving and New Year’s is going to be golden – sometimes you have to settle for a tarnished silver. But with a little hard work and dedication, that tarnish can be brushed off and you can shine again just in time to celebrate.

How about checking out :

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