A Free Christmas Gift

Christmas you either love it or hate it. Isn’t it strange that the Christmas (and other holidays too) are both enjoyed and feared in equal measure.  It is a time for families & celebrations and togetherness & sharing.  But for some those very thoughts make them fearful or sad.  As the World has opened up to us we have become a World of nomads searching for something – a better job, a better relationship, a better life, a better “us”.  Or sometimes are we are simply running away from pain without realising that unless we deal with “stuff” that has caused us pain the feelings will inevitably follows us.  Some of us are not at peace with ourselves or the World and this is more evident at a time like Christmas when people come together to reconnect and share what I like to call the “the warm and fuzzy”.  Sometimes it is our lack of those we can feel “warm and fuzzy” with which isolates us even more.

Conversely our shopping habits have become the opposite. We don’t engage with the personal shopping habit like we used to.  We don’t seem to want to search endlessly for just the “right” things that we see, feel (and sometimes smell!) would be the perfect gift for those we care enough about to buy a present for.  Instead we have become a nation (or a World) of internet shoppers where we can’t feel or really “see” what we are buying. This expanded World of things available on the internet is great for those of us that work unsocial hours, are housebound, live in a remote area or are a carer of some sort.  It means we don’t have to be isolated and can shop and conduct our business 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

This is good news. As, whilst this is a bit of a generalisation, people who are isolated for many reasons are at a higher risk of suffering from depression, addiction and loss of confidence.  However unless we ourselves recognise our isolation and the choices we make in life which lead to our isolation we will, unfortunately, be prone to these issues. Which leads to further isolation……which leads to further issues…..which leads to…………. Etc.

In my profession as a counsellor I work not only face to face with clients but also online via Skype which enables me to see people ‘out of hours’.   This doesn’t quite mean that I ‘meet’ with people in my pyjamas but it does mean that I can be more flexible in my work as my morning is sometimes someone else’s evening.

So this Free Christmas Gift I hear your thought train ask – what is it? I’d like to say the wish of World Peace but I am not sure what that means anymore as each of us has a different version of Peace.  Instead I would wish you the wisdom to search and find the inner peace that will let you live your life fully.   Life should be enjoyed and not simply endured and if you aren’t doing the former isn’t it time you did?  You may be in pain, you may be homeless, you may be alone, you may have an addiction and you may be suffering all of these and struggling to continue.  But whatever situation you are in, personal change can happen and whilst sometimes it may not seem like it can, step by step it can – you just have to want to do it.  So that is my universal gift to you. Take the first step and think what you can do about your situation (there is something) and make 2016 the year you said yes to making the change and enjoy the gift of inner peace.