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BPC Monthly Newsletter Finding Your Way... Through the Holidays  Tools for Optimizing Emotional & Mental Wellness December 2004 Issue In this issue: Holiday Strategies BPC Announcements Finding Your Way CD Additional Links
To the first issue of our newsletter. December is often our most stressful month and we can easily find ourselves bouncing between emotional highs and lows, dreading the very celebrations that are meant to inspire and renew us. So take a few moments as you enter this preparation time and incorporate some of the ideas below into your daily plans. With a little practice, you can discover gifts for yourself every day of the month. Have a joyful holiday season this year by giving yourself the gift of acceptance and others the gift of compassion. Dorothy Ashman & the entire staff of Bloomsburg Psychological Center, LLC
No matter what holiday you celebrate in December, chances are that preparing for it consumes a great deal of you time, energy and finances. In our first issue of Finding Your Way..., we at Bloomsburg Psychological Center, LLC hope to give you some ideas on how to balance out the stressors and the expectations that make this month such an emotionally challenging one. Stress, demanding schedules, over-eating, excess drinking and unrealistic fantasies of a "perfect holiday" make us vulnerable to bouts of sadness, anxiety, frustration, anger and disappointment. Our grief for lost loved ones may intensify and we might even find ourselves slipping into depression. Here are a few ideas that might make things easier for you this year. Simplify. Examine all of your traditions and think about rotating them so that each year you do some, but not all of them. Send cards to only those you do not see regularly. Skip some (or all) of your baking. Say "yes" to fewer get- togethers Pick names within your family or work group to reduce the number of presents exchanged. Down-size your focus on material goods and increase your emphasis on spending time with people you care about. Make time for music. Music can be very calming and healing. Find time each day for seasonal or other favorite pieces. As you sit and actively listen to the inspirational lyrics or soothing melodies, notice how your body begins to relax. Breathe abdominally as you spend a few moments with yourself and take this peaceful feeling into your busy day. Stay in the present. Many emotions are created because we spend so much of the month thinking about how to make one or a few days "perfect". Instead, enjoy each day and find something to experience in every moment. Focus on what you are seeing, hearing, touching, smelling or tasting. Resist labeling each moment as "good" or "bad" so you can learn to appreciate experiences even when they are not unfolding as you had hoped. Cultivate compassion and tolerance. Practice mindfulness.
We will be offering a Women's Depression Group on Monday evenings beginning in January. Most insurance policies cover group therapy and we will be happy to research your benefits. Call us at 570-387-1832 to sign up early and reserve your place. Need extra support during the holidays? Our area is well supplied with Free Support Groups and Services that can get you connected with other people in similar situations. Our website contains a list of all of the free groups we have heard of. If you know of any that we have missed, please call us at 570-387-1832 and give us the information. Although we confirm the information with each group once a year, we suggest checking with the contact number to make sure the time or location of the meeting has not changed.
Finding Your Way Back to Calm, a CD of six relaxation tools and three tracks of soothing music, makes a wonderful gift for anyone who is emotionally or physically stressed. Each technique lasts about 10 minutes so you can fit in a relaxation break almost any time of the day. You can purchase the CD at our web store, at our office at 816 Central Road, or at As Nature Intended on Main Street in Bloomsburg.
Holiday Depression and Stress (National Mental Health Association) http://www.nmha.org/ 12 Tips to Manage Holiday Stress (The Mayo Clinic) http://www.mayoclinic.com Creative, inexpensive and eco-friendly gifts http://www.newdream.org |
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