With the holidays in mind, I am sure that many of you must be very excited. But why exactly do we get so excited?Dopamine is a chemical messenger made in the brain which is released when expecting a reward. In other words, whenever experiencing an activity that is pleasurable, dopamine is released. When dopamine is released, you end up feeling more happy than you did in the moments prior. While you're opening your Christmas presents, the dopamine levels in your body increase in anticipation of getting the present inside. With that being said, enjoy the rest of your holidays!

How does Dopamine Work?

Dopamine is strongly associated with pleasure and reward. It's also involved in motor function, mood, and even our decision making. Learn about symptoms of too much or too little dopamine and how it interacts with drugs and hormones.

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

health

Health

mentalhealth

Mental Health

scienceandnature

Science & Nature

We feel stress when something we care about—something we value—is threatenedWe might feel stress over money because we value money. We might feel stress over a big presentation to our CEO because we care about what the CEO thinks of us (we care about our career)Knowing this, highly successful people realize they are feeling stress and pause to ask: what is my body telling me? What is it that I care about, that I think is threatened? When you have that answer, it’s easier to thank yourself for the warning sign and focus on taking action within our scope of control

Stress as a Spotlight on our Values

Successful people control their breathing, to control their physiology<ol><li>INHALE through your nose, counting to four very slowly. Let the air fill your lungs completely.</li><li>HOLD your breath to another count of four.</li><li>EXHALE through your mouth, to a count of four.</li><li>HOLD your breath again for the same count of four.</li><li>Repeat from step 1.</li></ol>

Control your physiology

Highly successful people reframe negative experiences into growth experiences (but, first calm yourself with BOX BREATHING)Focus on reflecting on what went wrong or is going wrongArticulate on what can be done to solve the problem or what can I learn from the experience<a href="https://biglifejournal.com/blogs/blog/fixed-mindset-vs-growth-mindset-examples">Fixed vs Growth Mindset</a>

Reframe With a Growth Mindset 

<ul><li>Find time to exercise</li><li>Get sufficient sleep (doesn't need to be 8 hours)</li><li>Take time to meditate regularly to improve our ability to be in the MOMENT especially during stressful situations</li></ul>

Take care of Body and Mind on a regular basis

Keeping calm under stressful environments

meditation

Meditation

7 Ways Successful People Stay Calm At Work

One of the key symptoms and struggles in PTSD is flashbacks. A type of flashback unique to Complex PTSD (C-PTSD) are emotional flashbacks. Emotional flashbacks are sudden regressions to feelings of the past, such as severe fear or a sense of abandonment. When flashbacks go unmanaged, the survivor can be lost in their emotions and memories, dissociate, panic, and otherwise become limited or dysfunctional. When you’re having a flashback, try the steps below.

Flashback Management

The starting point is to identify the flashback for what it is. What you’re experiencing is remanence of the past. You are no longer in that situation and you have new tools to manage these sensations.

1. Say to yourself: “I’m having a flashback.”

You are no longer in the past or in that situation. You are safely in the present.

2. Remind yourself: “I feel afraid but I am not in danger.”

Remind yourself that you have the right to have boundaries, to speak up when someone mistreats you, and to leave dangerous situations.

3. Reenforce your boundaries.

In this moment, it may be helpful to envision speaking to your younger self. Reassure them that you love them unconditionally and that they can come to you for comfort and protection.

4. Speak reassuringly to yourself.

The pain and emotions you experienced in the past might’ve felt endless, especially in this moment, but remember that it will past.

5. Deconstruct eternity thinking.

Remind yourself that you’re in an older body with new allies, skills, tools, and resources to protect and support you. What happened to you won’t happen again.

6. Remind yourself of your present.

Fear can launch us into a numb, spaced out state. It’s time to ease back into your body by:<ol><li>Gently asking your body to relax;</li><li>Breathing deeply and slowly;</li><li>Finding a quiet safe place to relax. Items like a blanket or stuffed animal can be soothing and grounding;</li><li>Feeling the fear without reacting to it. Fear is just another energy in your body when it’s not ignored or acted upon.</li></ol>

7. Ease back into your body.

When faced with bouts of negative emotion, it’s easy for the mind to exaggerate the feelings of abandonment and danger. It may begin to spiral down a path of negative thinking or react to danger that isn’t there. Refuse to shame, hate, or abandon yourself. Combat unfair self-criticism by saying no or refuting. Replace negative thinking with a list of your positive qualities and achievements.

8. Resist exaggerated thinking.

Flashbacks reveal old wounds; feelings of hurt and fear that might’ve gone unnoticed all these years. Allow yourself to grieve, to feel these feelings and validate them as they come. Healthy grieving can turn anguish into self compassion and anger into self protection.

9. Allow yourself to grieve.

Build healthy and safe relationships. Inform trusted people in your life about your flashbacks and what they can do to help you. Take some time alone if you need it, but don’t let shame isolate you.

10. Build a support system.

What prompts your flashbacks? Is it a specific smell, sound, taste, texture, or object? Is it a specific person or character trait people may have? Whatever the case may be, it’s important to identify these triggers and avoid them whenever possible.

11. Learn to identify triggers.

Despite having flashbacks, people with C-PTSD may not remember their trauma. Flashbacks are a chance to discover old wounds, unmet needs, and unaddressed damages. Take some time to explore what you’re flashing back to, what it means, and how it makes you feel.

12. Discover what you’re flashing back to.

Don’t beat yourself up for having a flashback. Recovery from a flashback is a slow process that requires a level of self compassion and patience that may initially be hard to cultivate. Take your time and let yourself be slowly pulled out of it.

13. Be patient with yourself.

As the year draws to a close, one of the most useful things I’ve learned this year is how to manage my flashbacks. I wanted to share these here in case anyone else might need them!

Pete Walker M.A., MFT Therapy for and recovery from childhood trauma, abuse and/or neglect, in the East Bay

Understand yourself and those around you.

psychology

Psychology

Pete Walker, M.A. Psychotherapy

As naturally as we breathe, we “decouple” from the here and now, our brains transporting us to past events, imagined scenarios, and other internal musings. This tendency is so fundamental it has a name: our “default state.” It is the activity our brain automatically reverts to when not otherwise engaged, and often even when we are otherwise engaged.

Our “Default State”

You’ve no doubt noticed your own mind wander, as if of its own volition, when you were supposed to be focusing on a task. We are perpetually slipping away from the present into the parallel, nonlinear world of our minds, involuntarily sucked back “inside” on a minute-to-minute basis. In light of this, the expression “the life of the mind” takes on new and added meaning: much of our life is the mind. So what often happens when we slip away?We talk to ourselves.And we listen to what we say.

The Life Of The Mind

Humanity has grappled with the phenomenon of the inner voice since the dawn of civilization. Early Christian mystics were thoroughly annoyed by the voice in their head always intruding on their silent contemplation. Some even considered these voices demonic. Around the same time, in the East, Chinese Buddhists theorized about the turbulent mental weather that could cloud one’s emotional landscape. They called it “deluded thought.”

Demons And Delusions?

And yet many of these very same ancient cultures believed that their inner voice was a source of wisdom, a belief that undergirds several millennia-old practices like silent prayer and meditation. The fact that multiple spiritual traditions have both feared our inner voice and noted its value speaks to the ambivalent attitudes to our internal conversations that still persist today.

Or Gods And Wisdom?

The flow of words is so inextricable from our inner lives that it persists even in the face of vocal impairments. Some people who stutter, for example, report talking more fluently in their minds than they do out loud. Deaf people who use sign language talk to themselves too, though they have their own form of inner language. It involves silently signing to themselves, similar to how people who can hear use words to talk to themselves privately.

The Inner Voice Is A Basic Feature Of The Mind

Although the inner voice functions well much of the time, it often leads to chatter—the cyclical negative thoughts and emotions that turn our singular capacity for introspection into a curse rather than a blessing. This often happens precisely when we need our inner voice the most—when our stress is up, the stakes are high, and we encounter difficult emotions that call for the utmost poise.

Chatter - A Blessing And A Curse

Sometimes this chatter takes the form of a rambling soliloquy; sometimes it’s a dialogue we have with ourselves. Sometimes it’s a compulsive rehashing of past events (rumination); sometimes it’s an angst-ridden imagining of future events (worry). Sometimes it’s a free-associative pinballing between negative feelings and ideas. Sometimes it’s a fixation on one specific unpleasant feeling or notion. However it manifests itself, when the inner voice runs amok and chatter takes the mental microphone, our mind not only torments but paralyzes us. It can also lead us to do things that sabotage us.

The Many Forms Of Chatter And Its Results

If you’ve ever silently repeated a phone number to memorize it, replayed a conversation imagining what you should have said, or verbally coached yourself through a problem or skill, then you’ve employed your inner voice. Most people rely on and benefit from theirs every day. And when they disconnect from the present, it’s often to converse with that voice or hear what it has to say—and it can have a lot to say.

But I Don’t Talk To Myself! 

But the instruments necessary for reducing chatter and harnessing our inner voice aren’t something we need to go looking for. They are readily available, waiting for us to put them to work. The key to beating chatter isn’t to stop talking to yourself. The challenge is to figure out how to do so more effectively.

The Key To Beating Chatter

In his book, Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, And How To Harness It, Ethan Kross, professor of psychology and management, experimental psychologist, neuroscientist and writer, reviews the different tools that exist for helping people resolve the tension between getting caught in negative thought spirals and thinking clearly and constructively. Below are several tools that you might try out to help calm your own chatter and to provide chatter support to others.

A Book On Chatter

Imagine advising a friend. One way to think about your experience from a distanced perspective is to imagine what you would say to a friend experiencing the same problem as you. Think about the advice you’d give that person, and then apply it to yourself.

How To Calm Your Own Chatter

Reinterpret your body’s chatter response. The bodily symptoms of stress (for example, an upset stomach before, say, a date or presentation) are often themselves stressful, worsening your chatter and then getting worse from it. When this happens, remind yourself that your bodily response to stress is an adaptive evolutionary reaction that improves performance under high-stress conditions. In other words, tell yourself that your sudden rapid breathing, pounding heartbeat, and sweaty palms are there not to sabotage you but to help you respond to a challenge.

Engage in mental time travel. Another way to gain distance and broaden your perspective is to think about how you’ll feel a month, a year, or even longer from now. Remind yourself that you’ll look back on whatever is upsetting you in the future and it’ll seem much less upsetting. Doing so highlights the impermanence of your current emotional state.

Address people’s emotional and cognitive needs. When people come to others for help with their chatter, they generally have two needs they’re trying to fulfill: They’re searching for care and support, on the one hand (emotional needs), and concrete advice about how to move forward and gain closure, on the other (cognitive needs). Addressing both of these needs is vital to your ability to calm other people’s chatter. Concretely, this involves not only empathically validating what people are going through but also broadening their perspective, providing hope, and normalizing their experience.

How To Provide Chatter Support To Others

Tell your kids to pretend they’re a superhero. This strategy, popularized in the media as “the Batman effect,” is a distancing strategy that is particularly useful for children grappling with intense emotions. Ask them to pretend they’re a superhero or cartoon character they admire, and then nudge them to refer to themselves using that character’s name when they’re confronting a difficult situation. Doing so helps them distance.

Some of the most important conversations in our lives are the ones we have with ourselves. And conversations can break us as much as they can make us.

Our inner voice functions well much of the time, but it can also lead to chatter—the cyclical negative thoughts and emotions that turn introspection into a curse. Here are strategies for breaking that cycle, both in yourself and when supporting others.

communication

Communication

How to Channel Your Mind’s Inner Chatter

Track gratitude and achievement with a journal. Include 3 things you were grateful for and 3 things you were able to accomplish each day.

1. A Gratitude Journal

Start your day with a cup of co­ffee. Coff­ee consumption is linked to lower rates of depression. If you can’t drink coff­ee because of the caff­eine, try another good-for-you drink like green tea.

2. Coffee Or Green Tea

Experiment with a new recipe, write a poem, paint or try a Pinterest project. Creative expression and overall well-being are linked.

3. Try Something New

Boost brainpower by treating yourself to a couple pieces of dark chocolate every few days. The flavanoids, caffeine, and theobromine in chocolate are thought to work together to improve alertness and mental skills.

4. Eat Dark Chocolate

Go off the grid.  Leave your smart phone at home for a day and disconnect from constant emails, alerts, and other interruptions. Spend time doing something fun with someone face-to-face.

5. Screens Off! 

Go ahead and yawn.  Studies suggest that yawning helps cool the brain and improves alertness and mental efficiency.

6. Yawn It Out

Relax in a warm bath once a week. Try adding Epsom salts to soothe aches and pains and help boost magnesium levels, which can be depleted by stress.

7. Warm Bath + Relax 

Do your best to enjoy 15 minutes of sunshine , and apply sunscreen. Sunlight synthesizes Vitamin D, which experts believe is a mood elevator.

8. Grab The Sun 

1. Track gratitude and achievement with a journal. Include 3 things you were grateful for and 3 things you were able to accomplish each day.
 
2. Start your day with a cup of co­ffee. Coff­ee consumption is linked to lower rates of depression. If you can’t drink coff­ee because of the caff­eine, try another good-for-you drink like green tea. 
 

habits

Habits

8 Tips To Boost Your Mental Health

I had achieved my targets each time I had set them. My past is a confirmation of my ability and strength. This time I'm marking my target to the next level. I'm accountable for my life and I'm determined to transform it. I know there is no substitute for hard work and, I believe I can accomplish greatness in any chosen field through constant practice. I'm keen to prove myself again. <a href="https://dailymorningpositiveaffirmations.quora.com/?ch=10&oid=2267983&share=396067ef&srid=uNh0EF&target_type=tribe">Affirm To Accomplish</a>

Best Quotes To Recite Daily To Have A Positive Morning

I'm abundant with covert powers that make me confident. I have a prolific reservoir of efficacious thoughts. I'm capable of producing the desired result. I govern my life by following a deep spiritual practice and, I'm on a journey to improve my inner-self. Sooner or later, I will possess an agglomeration of eternal bliss and contentment.-Affirm To Accomplish

Deep Spiritual Practice

I'm a source of inspiration for many. My family, friends and colleagues, all support me in my endeavour. My positive aura attracts others to me. I'm a fascinating soul, born to spread optimism. I'm blessed with the art of calmness. I'm serene and I can handle every situation with ease. My life is in my control and I'm bound to outperform.

Affirm To Outperform 

I'm strong and competent. I'm hard-working and smart. I hope for the best and I sweat to get it. I'm living my life with purpose, plan and preposition. I'm reluctant to choose mediocrity. I refuse to accept every feeble suggestion because I, myself is the powerhouse of motivation. I live my life on my own terms. I deserve the best and I vow to attain it.

You Deserve The Best

I'm a beautiful and loving person. I'm blessed to have a creative mind. My charm makes me class apart. People love me for my good deeds. I'm an adorable person possessing qualities like generosity, humility and kindness. I'm known for my good work and positivity. I'm an optimistic soul born to be loved.

You're Beautiful!

I'm wealthy and prosperous. I'm grateful for having a fully functional body. I'm a beautiful and fascinating creature of the lord. I'm thankful to God for creating me. I am blessed with abundance. I lack nothing instead I have an inexhaustible source of health, wealth and prosperity. I'm supportive and kind. I love helping others. I'm lively and open for needy people. I'm born to serve and uplift this humanity.Affirm To Accomplish

The inexhaustible source of health, wealth and prosperity.

I'm will soon receive good news. My positive aura will fill my life with joy and happiness. I'm attracting good things to my life. My lifestyle is improving and I'm regaining my self-esteem back. I have control over my senses and I can now stay calm for long. I'm building a strong foundation with good habits. I am following a meaningful routine and I hope I'll soon become the person I always wanted to be.-Affirm To Accomplish

The Good News 

BENEFITS OF POSITIVITY: Better stress management | Better mental health | Better social life | Improvement in self-confidence 

mindfulness

Mindfulness

motivationandinspiration

Motivation & Inspiration

Benefits of positivity in life

I'm skilled and trained to carry out my tasks, independently. I'm the complete universe in myself. I'm a sparkling-star studded in our team like a gem. Everybody enjoys my presence and I'm praised for my qualities which are deeper than ordinary eyes can find it. My positive aura is what makes me unique. I pray to stay kind and humble as always.-Affirm To Accomplish

10 Great affirmations for the workplace.

I'm sensible and mature. My mind had evolved and, I'm using it for good. I do not lament for the past. I am fortunate for what has happened till now. My wishes are getting fulfilled one way or other. I'm able to find purpose in every task I do. I welcome each day in a very cheerful way. I find my life meaningful. I live in dreams even after being conscious. I have a happy bookish world of my own and, I'm not hesitant to accept that I'm a booktrovert.-Affirm To Accomplish

The Booktrovert 

I'm a responsible, reliable and rational person. People trust me for my delivery on commitments. I'm a man of words and I do what I'm expected to do. I have a bright career ahead. My seniors entrust me with the delicate of delicate's work due to my sincerity and diligence. I'm capable of constructive thinking and will soon reach the position I always deserve to be.-Affirm to Accomplish

I'm A Man Of Words

I'm a growth magnet and, I'm grateful to have a supreme vision to see positivity and hope in every circumstance. I'm capable enough to draw inspiration even from a distressing situation. I'm dutiful and, I'm bound to perform selfless actions. I do not long for rewards because my lord has already showered me the cavalcade of blessings.-Affirm To Accomplish

The Growth Magnet

Today is my day and, I'm ready to fight. I'm ready to hustle and hit my target high. I'm excited for the day and, my roar is enough to conquer my fears. Today I'll be able to achieve what I have been longing for. I'm starting my day with clear expectations and a plan for conquest.-Affirm To Accomplish

Prepping For Conquest

I'm constantly paving a path to success. I'm frequently orienting my direction. I'm focusing on one thing at a moment. I know, I can neither control the inevitable nor I can predict the future but I'm very sure that in the end ill attain something good. I believe that constant hard work possesses efficacy to turn my dreams into reality.-Affirm To Accomplish

First Pave Then Tread

I am starting my day with renewed energy and vigour. I have a lot to do and I am confident that I will complete them all. Today, I will be super productive. My augmented energy will bring satisfaction to me by the end of the day. Today, work will be my priority, not the people, and I will not hesitate to say no to some. My efforts today will not go wane. I know I can accomplish everything I set to achieve.-Affirm To Accomplish

Let's Be Productive 

We need to keep our positive vibes high during our work schedules so here I have curated a few positive affirmations you can recite during work.

corporateculture

Corporate Culture

Affirmations for workplace

The holiday season can be the loneliest and most stressful time of the year for some people. When combined with workplace stress, the festive season can add stress.  Just before the holiday season, employees are dealing with shortened deadlines, expectations for the end of the fiscal year, and coping with stressed-out customers. Studies also show that productivity drops by 10-20% as workers lack motivation and feel exhausted.

Added stress during the holiday season

<ul><li>Reach out. Use a survey to determine how your team wants to celebrate the holidays at work. </li><li>Be inclusive. The workplace becomes more enjoyable when team members recognize how people from different cultures celebrate holidays.</li><li>Protect personal time. Try to offer an extra day off leading up to the holidays for employees to attend to personal needs.</li><li>Rebalance workloads. Work and home pressure converge at this time of year. Review the workload and see if some project deadlines can move to the new year.</li><li>Give time instead of gifts.</li></ul>

Managers can help combat stress

Most holiday-related stressors are self-imposed and can be avoided.<ul><li>Financial stress can be lessened by buying less.</li><li>Overcommitting can be avoided by saying no.</li><li>Multitasking can be managed by prioritising.</li><li>Loneliness can be prevented by reaching out. Start today by asking someone how they're doing. Listen with kindness and empathy and offer help if needed.</li></ul>

Reduce individual holiday stress

Here’s how to keep everyone’s spirits and productivity up.

leadershipandmanagement

Leadership & Management

Holidays Can Be Stressful. They Don’t Have to Stress Out Your Team.

Feelings of sadness that last throughout the holiday season—especially during the months of November and December—are often referred to as the holiday blues or holiday depression. The holidays are usually viewed as a time of happiness and rejoicing. But for some people, it can be a period of painful reflection, sadness, <a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/loneliness-causes-effects-and-treatments-2795749">loneliness </a>, anxiety, and depression.

What Are Holiday Blues? 

Even people who love the holidays can experience the blues during this busy season. The holidays are often a time of high emotion and demands, which can leave a lot of people feeling stressed and exhausted.

But I Love The Holidays? 

People with a prior mental health condition may be even more prone to experiencing holiday depression. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), 64% of people with an existing mental illness report that the holidays make their condition worse.1

Holidays Make Their Condition Worse

<ul><li>Changes in appetite or weight </li><li>Changes in sleep patterns </li><li>Depressed or irritable mood </li><li>Difficulty concentrating </li><li>Feelings of worthlessness or guilt </li><li>Feeling more tired than usual </li><li>Feeling tense, worried, or anxious </li><li>Loss of pleasure in doing things you used to enjoy </li> </ul>

Signs & Symptoms

Feeling sad during the winter and holiday months may also be a sign of <a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-seasonal-affective-disorder-1065408">seasonal affective disorder </a>(SAD). SAD is a form of <a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-clinical-depression-1067309">major depressive disorder </a>(MDD) that occurs in seasonal patterns during certain months of the year.Holiday depression and SAD can be difficult to distinguish from one another, but the duration and severity of your symptoms are usually your best clues:

SAD V/S Holiday Depression

<ul><li>Duration : The holiday blues start around November or December and lift shortly after the new year ends. SAD, however, typically lasts about 40% of the year—starting in the late fall and early winter and going away during the spring and summer. </li><li>Symptom severity : The symptoms of holiday depression are fairly mild. SAD, on the other hand, is often more severe and can be debilitating. </li> </ul>

Difference Between SAD And Holiday Blues

<ul><li>Lack of sleep : A hectic holiday schedule can lead to a <a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/how-sleep-affects-mental-health-4783067">lack of sleep </a>, which increases stress.</li><li>Excess eating and alcohol use : Unfortunately, people sometimes turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms to handle holiday sadness and stress. Excessive drinking and overeating can make the symptoms of holiday depression even more pronounced.</li><li>Financial stress : Overextending yourself financially or struggling to afford gifts for family and friends can create an added burden of <a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/understanding-and-preventing-financial-stress-3144546">financial stress </a>.</li></ul>

Causes Of Holiday Blues

<ul><li>Isolation and loneliness : Not being able to spend the holidays with your family and friends can make the holiday season seem especially lonely.</li><li>Unrealistic expectations : Sometimes even having high hopes for the season can lead to holiday stress and sadness. The over-commercialization of the holidays can create the expectation that people are supposed to feel nonstop joy and holiday cheer, which can create pressure to feel a very specific way, adding yet another stressor to an already hectic time of year.</li></ul>

In addition to talking to your doctor or a mental health professional, there are a number of things that you can do on your own to make the holidays easier to deal with.

Coping 

Alcohol is a depressant and drinking too much can exacerbate any negative feelings that you might have. This doesn't mean you need to go cold turkey. Instead, limit your consumption and avoid using alcohol as a way to deal with or avoid difficult emotions. If you choose to drink, try to limit yourself to one or two alcoholic drinks when you are out at social functions.Don't drink alcohol if you're feeling down. Excessive drinking will only increase your feelings of depression.

Drink In Moderation

Social isolation can be a major risk factor for depression. The problem is that sadness often makes you want to hide by yourself at home. And if you are on your own apart from family for the holidays, reaching out and finding <a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/social-support-for-psychological-health-4119970">social support </a>can be all the more difficult.Look for ways that you can enjoy social connections, even if you aren’t able to go home for the holidays. If you’re feeling lonely, ask a friend to come over for a heart to heart. Join a local club, volunteer for something you believe in, or even see a counselor for support.

Don't Isolate Yourself

While it can be difficult to stick to a workout schedule when you are feeling down, research has shown that <a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-link-between-exercise-and-depression-5089055">regular physical activity </a>can play an important role in preventing and reducing symptoms of depression.So while hitting the gym can be tough when you are stressed, busy, and feeling sad, try to remember that you don’t need to glue yourself to the treadmill or weight machine to feel the benefits. Even a casual activity like going for a short walk each day might be enough to help keep the holiday blues at bay.

Exercise Regularly

Make sure that you leave enough time for yourself to relax. Even 15 to 20 minutes a day to enjoy some quiet time, read a book, listen to music, take a bath, do yoga, or some other relaxing activity can do wonders for your stress levels.

Find Time For Yourself

It’s fine to be excited about the holidays and make plans for the things you want to do. But it is also important to keep your <a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/expectation-vs-reality-trap-4570968">expectations realistic and reachable </a>.The holidays don’t have to be perfect to be special. They don’t have to be exactly like the holidays of the past to be just as meaningful and memorable.

Keep Realistic Expectations

The holiday blues refers to feelings of sadness that occur during the holiday season. Learn more about holiday depression, including symptoms, diagnosis, and how to seek treatment.

What are the Holiday Blues? 

Effective resilience is a blend of experience, patience, and determination. While you never wish adversity upon yourself, it’s often what makes you stronger. You learn from your setbacks and discover ways to avoid them in the future. How you respond to any given situation will depend on how resilient you are. While it doesn’t make your problems disappear, it will provide you with the strength and patience to stay focused. The only trees that survive a devastating windstorm are those that have learned to bend. Remember to be flexible and bend, but will a robust root system, you’ll never break.

Slow And Steady Wins The Race.

There is power in an attitude comprising patience and steadfastness.

Your reaction to adversity may determine your individual ability to be a more resilient person. Here are ten reasons why.

10 Reasons That Reaction to Adversity Determines Resilience

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