Tips for Handling Holiday Disappointment

When people think of the holidays they think of wonderful family get togethers, mountains of presents under the tree and everyone enjoying each other’s company in the spirit of the season. The reality is that this is not the reality for many individuals and families. There are hundreds of thousands of people that spend Christmas and New Year’s Eve along or with people they don’t know or don’t really want to spend time with. 

Christmas disappointment can also occur when there are unrealistic expectations of what the holidays will bring. This can be in the form of gifts that are expected or in expecting people in the family to behave in a particular way. In my recent book, ” The Law of Sobriety” I talk about how these disappointments are often rooted in fear. Fear can occur because of worrying about problems that don’t exist or reading negativity into situations instead of looking for the positives. At this time of year the risk of fear of the future is even greater as everyone makes plans and sets expectations for what will happen. 

If something unforeseen does happen over the holidays, allowing it to ruin the beauty of this season is devastating. It is important to seek the positives in all situations in order to rid your thoughts of those negative images, thoughts and habits that try to worm their way in. Instead of allowing a Christmas disappointment to bring you down and into negativity, try the following three thought exercises: 

1. Look for the blessing, positive attributes, learning experience or message within the event. 
2. Visualize the season as you want it to be and look for positive opportunities that the universe provides for this to happen. 
3. Keep your focus on your own goals, positive thoughts and positive behaviors and don’t allow negative people around you to change your focus.