Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Hunkering Down for the Holidays

I don't know about you all, but I am in need of some peace. My creativity is sapped (I love you, NaNo, but sheesh!) I am out of whack, emotionally and mentally (ah, anxiety, my old friend!) My body and my spirit just feel . . . frayed.

So, it's time to quiet down, tuck in. It's time to reflect and to renew. It's time to read books, eat chocolate, and binge watch shows that make me laugh (holiday episodes of Seinfeld, The Office or The Big Bang Theory) and even ones that make me cry (Game of Thrones, I'm looking at you . . . )

It might seem silly. My holidays are not particularly festive, they're not full of parties and travel. Some people think I should do things differently, I should act the way everybody else does, but I'm learning that I need to do what's right for me, to do what will keep me as healthy and as sane as possible.

All of us here at The Shellshank Redemption wish you and yours a wonderful holiday season - whatever you celebrate, however you celebrate. We'll see you all in the New Year!




(Cartoon by Marzi from Introvert Doodles. Check out her book!)

24 comments:

  1. Merry Christmas! I'll be hunkering soon. One more post next week. And funny, I've been binge-watching The Office for the last month.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Merry Christmas to you, too, Alex!

      Those early seasons of The Office are hilarious!

      Delete
  2. It's strange that people would suggest you do the crazy partying-and-traveling thing, since that leads to feeling frazzled and stressed. The people I know with a ton of get-togethers usually complain about how they feel completely ragged by the end of the holidays.

    To me, it's not a holiday if we can't do what we like, so rest and recharge without guilt. Wishing you the happiest of holidays, and all the best in 2019.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I find it funny how it's usually the people who don't have to do any actual traveling who are so insistent on everyone getting together. And so many people just don't understand - or don't bother to try and understand - how anxiety and stress can wreak havoc on a person who struggles with crowds, etc.

      Have a wonderful holiday! And all the best for 2019!

      Delete
    2. You too, Madeline.

      This is the first year in over a decade I'm not flying to my parents' place for Christmas. It's an absolutely hellish trip both ways, and getting worse every year, but like you mentioned, there was never a willingness to have Christmas here once in a while, or even an understanding of how gruelling and exhausting that trip was. Once I arrived, I was expected to be "on" and help with the decorating and baking.

      While I'll miss my parents and I'm sure it will feel weird to be without my family at Christmas, I won't miss the trip.

      Delete
    3. I so hear you, JH! When we decided not to travel for the holidays, we still made a point to travel/visit at least once a year. We did this for many years, using our time off, spending a lot of money, struggling with my anxieties, etc until we realized that we could count on one hand the number of times anyone made an effort to visit us or our area, suggest meeting halfway or going on an actual vacation together.

      The first year we spent holidays on our own was kind of strange, but once we started making our own traditions, and it's been fun. :)

      Delete
  3. I'm into peaceful holidays with no travel for me or for family members. I prefer they visit (or we travel) at non-holiday times of the year, preferably when there's no chance of a blizzard making me sleep at an airport for a couple days. My husband and I love to have a nice dinner together, watch Broncos football, play games like Boggle and Scrabble, and read or watch movies. And the only gift shopping I do these days is for the two young granddaughters (mostly books or artsy/crafty things). Turning the holidays into a no-stress-allowed period has made my life so much better.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My husband and I did a lot of holiday traveling for many years - planes, cars, some combination of the two. It was fun, but it was also exhausting and expensive, not to mention freezing. When we decided to stop, we still made a point to visit other times of the year, even though that is/was still hard for me, anxiety-wise. Of course, for some people that still wasn't good enough....

      Your holiday with your husband sounds wonderful - and remarkably similar! Wishing you all the best, Patricia!

      Delete
  4. Merry Christmas. See you in 2019.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wish you a peaceful Christmas, Patricia. Take care of yourself!

      Delete
  5. I salute your plan to hunker down and recharge. 'Tis the season for peace and joy, and it seems to me, the constant drive to rush-rush-rush and party-party-party saps both of those things right out of it. Our holidays are verrrrry low-stress, and that's just the way we like them.

    Have a very merry and peaceful Christmas. Seeya next year!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Low stress? Aaaaaaah! :)

      Wishing you a relaxing and wonderful Christmas!

      Delete
  6. I've always gotten that same "you should do/feel/think" about Christmas. I'm with you. God bless to those who go all out, I just want to have some space and quiet time. Wishing you a season of peace!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think that's the key - choice. I used to do a lot of those holiday things because I wanted to, but somewhere along the line, I started to not want to, and I began to feel resentful, etc. and that's no way to feel, especially around the holidays.

      I hope you have a peaceful holiday, too!

      Delete
  7. Have a happy holiday season! See you in 2019. :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Merry Christmas to you. We have a rather loud, but fun family gathering on the 24th and then the children drift back around on Christmas day at different times and eat leftovers. It's very relaxed.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh yeah. I'm an introvert and spending time outside of the house, surrounded by people, usually causes me anxiety. Even visiting my brother is tough. If I tried to adhere to the popular idea of how holidays are spent, I'd probably have a breakdown.

    Have a fantastic time unwinding!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Crowds, traffic, things like that are hard for me. I deal with them if I have to, but otherwise, I try to avoid them or at least minimize them.

      Have a great holiday, Loni!

      Delete
  10. Hope you had a great holiday season! Hope you have a great New Year!

    www.ficklemillennial.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete