Like a lot of people, I typically find the holidays hard to deal with. There are a lot of reasons for that — past and present — so most years, I come into the new year feeling down.
I know this about myself, as it’s been this way for a long time. This year around Thanksgiving, I had a moment, sitting in traffic and I realized what was on the horizon. While I am not fully in charge of my long-term, here-and-back-again depressive tendencies, I decided then to be more open and honest with a handful of people about how I was feeling through the holidays. I tried to make a solid attempt at being more engaged and in-the-moment as the holidays progressed.
I was afraid that all the normal stuff, coupled with things like the election, the stresses of owning and running my own business were and some on-going health stuff I’ve been dealing with would all prove too big to handle
I don’t feel awesome tonight as I type this, but miles better than I have in years past. Any time I felt overwhelmed, I repeated a simple mantra: I am blessed beyond reason. I am blessed beyond reason. I am blessed beyond reason.
Despite a cancer diagnosis seven and a half years ago, our oldest son — along with his younger brother and sister — all enjoyed their Christmases. They sang songs, opened toys and told jokes, together. Having them out of school for several weeks has been a true joy.
I’m amazingly fortunate to do what I love for a living. Building Relay FM has been harder than anything I’ve ever done, but it the most rewarding job I’ve ever had. I truly hope that when I retire, it’s from this gig.
If you’re feeling shitty or lonely or overwhelmed or anxious or down or defeated here at the end of the year, I would encourage you to find something good in your life and really think deeply about it. Even if it’s the very air we breathe, we all have something to be thankful for today. Holding on to that simple truth can work wonders.
Happy Holidays.