Let’s jingle bells all the way in this holiday’s celebration
Let’s jingle bells all the way in this holiday’s celebration
By Valeria Vilar, MA, BEd, LMHC
The Holiday season is a time of great expectations. People plan with anticipation how to make each event a special moment to be celebrated and remembered. Different celebration models reflect each one’s nature: from romantic environments, with fireplaces, and inspiring music; all the way to fireworks, exotic, and magnificent parties; and everything in between. There is no universal or established way of celebrating, just the opposite, we may choose to create and participate in the kind of festivity that best suits our preferences.
For some people the holiday season can also be a conflicting time. This time of year is often a tough one to go through, for those people with addictions to shopping, alcohol or food.
With the arrival of the holidays, most people do spend more than they normally do. But there are some for whom it becomes the perfect excuse to buy, anything and everything, all the time. Same tendency occurs with the consumption of alcohol and food. It is a fact that during this season shopping, drinking and eating a little more than throughout the rest of the year is normal, but these activities can turn into something dangerous and even pathologic for some.
They feel an irresistible urge to buy massive amounts of unneeded merchandise, to eat, or to drink excessively. This urge comes accompanied by feelings of anxiety, irritability and nervousness. After a brief period of temporary relief from this tension, they experience a feeling of guilt, but it does not stop them from returning to excessive shopping, eating or drinking. They have no control over these impulses, and do not distinguish between desire and need.
If this description feels familiar to you, and relays to something that brings conflict to your relations with family, friends and colleagues, allow yourself to change your habits. Seek professional help to overcome this.
Learning the appropriate tools can help you find a healthy way to interact with those you love. It will increase your possibilities of reaching a more desirable result, celebrating a happier holiday season in a much enjoyable way.
You can start today to walk on a different path, to find harmony with your family and attain a sense of personal balance. You can find yourself in Peace, Joy and Love and allow yourself to jingle bells all the way in this holiday's season.
Valeria Vilar, MA, BEd, LMHC, is the Clinical Director of Open Psychotherapy & Wellness Center. The center is located at the Weston Town Center since 1998. Additional information, can be reached at (954) 385-9550, and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by visiting www.openmind.cc