It’s Christmas…again. I don’t know where this year has gone. Where have the last several years gone? I have been living in a fog for so long that time has just escaped me. My days are filled with work, doctor appointments and phone calls to my mother. Worst of all, my dad’s passing earlier this year has left me wondering my purpose in life.
Disclaimer: This post is going to be really long, so if you don’t want to read any further, I’ll understand.
Self Care During Christmas
Twice this week, I have been sent reminders from my leadership team at work about self care. One reminder was to remember that YOU matter and the other was a reminder about why we are utterly exhausted. I have never worked for a company that cares for their employees so much. These reminders have stopped me in my tracks and allowed me to pause and reflect even more so during this Christmas season.
Overdoing It
I have been accused in the past for overdoing it. Maybe so, but it was my choice and it was done out of love and in the spirit of giving. But I have never “over done” anything for myself. After these last three years, I think it is time that I do. This holiday season, I am giving myself a hall pass. So I will be going dark (as it were) during this Christmas season and maybe well into the new year. I am stepping back to give myself time to grieve, decompress from everything that has been thrown at me, and to truly figure out what I want to do in the coming year.
Signing Off
Before I sign off, I want to share a couple of things:
- For everyone whose birthday I missed, “Happy Belated Birthday”. I hope your day was really special.
- For those of you who did not get a Christmas Card from me, I just didn’t have it in me this year. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season.
- For anyone who hasn’t heard from me in awhile, please know that my dad’s passing has really thrown me for a loop and I just didn’t want to burden you with my pain.
I hope you all have a blessed holiday and will see you all sometime in 2023. Below you will find one of the reminders that was sent to me. I hope you all find some solace in the words.
A gentle reminder about why you are utterly exhausted…
No one I know began this year on a full tank. Given the vicious onslaught of the previous two years (let’s just call it what it was) most of us dragged ourselves across the finish line of 2021… frazzled, spent, running on aged adrenaline fumes…
We crawled into 2022 still carrying shock, trauma, grief, heaviness, disbelief… The memories of a surreal existence…
And then it began… The fastest hurricane year we could ever have imagined. Whether we have consciously processed it or not, this has been a year of more pressure, more stress, and a race to “catch up” in all departments… Every. Single. One. Work, school, sports, relationships, life…
Though not intentionally aware, perhaps hopeful that the busier we are, the more readily we will forget… the more easily we will undo the emotional tangle… the more permanently we will wipe away the scarring wounds…
We can’t.
And attempts to re-create some semblance of “normal” on steroids while disregarding that for almost two years our sympathetic nervous systems were on full alert, has left our collective mental health in tatters. Our children and teens are not exempt. The natural byproduct of fighting a hurricane is complete and utter exhaustion…
So before you begin questioning the absolutely depleted and wrung-dry state you are in- Pause. Breathe. Remind yourself of who you are and what you have endured. And then remind yourself of what you have overcome.
Despite it all, you’re still going. (Even on the days you stumble and find yourself face down in a pile of dirt).
Understanding brings compassion…
Most of the world’s citizens are in need of a little extra TLC at the moment. Most are donning invisible “Handle with care” posters around their necks and “Fragile” tattoos on their bodies…
Instead of racing to the finish line of this year, tread gently. Go slowly.
Amidst the chaos, find small pockets of silence. Find compassion. Allow the healing. And most of all… Be kind. There’s no human being on earth who couldn’t use just a little bit more of the healing salve of kindness.
With love 
