 Photo by Jude Beck on Unsplash How do you show love in every day life? How do you show love at Christmas time?. At Christmas we can rush around wanting to show our love for our family and friends. However, this time of the year which combines Christmas time with endings, beginnings and transitions that occur at the end of the year, can often be a stressful time among families. We often find our frustration tolerance low and and our ability to show our love through kindness and patience can be tested.
There are a number of ways you can create Christmas Calm in your house. The following is a reminder to keep our eyes on what is important at Christmas. 1 Corinthians 13 is often used in wedding ceremonies as it is a wonderful illustration of love. The link below will take you to a paralled text of 1 Corinthians 13 that reminds us of the meaning of Christmas: www.appleseeds.org/1_Cor_13_Xmas.htm If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls, but do not show love to my family, I'm just another decorator. If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not show love to my family, I'm just another cook. If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home and give all that I have to charity, but do not show love to my family, it profits me nothing.. Are you looking for easy ways to connect with other people at Christmas? Feeling connected is important for your mental health, with strong links between loneliness and depression; social connectedness and feeling happier. But where do you start? Changing your mindset around loneliness is an important part of feeling more connected, but gift giving provides you with a unique opportunity to reach out to others in a practical and tangible way. It's wonderful to be able to choose gifts that reduce Christmas stress, but here's one way you can look beyond traditional gift giving and strengthen your connections.  Begin by finding a moment of quiet and think about people you have interacted with this year. It may be neighbours, family, friends, work mates, members of sporting groups, people you know through school, people you regularly buy groceries or other retail products from,, parents of your children’s friends, online connections etc.
Have you tried some of these? How did you go? Do you have any other tips to share? You can get in touch by sending me a direct email, or fill out the contact form below. If you want to listen to more about creating connections, you may enjoy listening to my podcast - Creating Connections. Until next time, take care of yourself Kim ps If you'd like to receive tips and strategies about increasing calm, confidence and connection all year round, you are warmly invited to join the Positive Young Minds community and have them delivered direct to your inbox. |
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Disclaimer* My aim is for these posts is meant to useful, interesting and/or inspiring. They are not designed to be used for therapy.. If you are experiencing stress please contact your GP or mental health professional.
AuthorKim Ross is a Psychologist and Founder of Positive Young Minds and Essential Self-Care for Psychologists. |
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