A Holiday Sentiment

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. 

- Luke 2:10-14

Surviving the Holidays

Shortly before Thanksgiving, on BipolarConnect, I offered this holiday advice:

• Keep your expectations low. We tend to do the very opposite, then find ourselves dealing with the disappointment. You will be a lot better off if you don't think of the holidays as a time to strengthen your bond to your loved one, impress your parents, reconcile with a difficult brother or sister, or be a hero to your nieces and nephews.
• Take time out for yourself. The holidays put us in situations where we are easily overstimulated and overwhelmed. If you sense a force nine family fight about to break out at the table, don't be afraid to summarily remove yourself from the scene. The same holds true even if there is no family tension, even if everyone is enjoying themselves. You don't need a good excuse to make an exit - any bad one will do.
• Plan ahead. The less surprises the better. The less last-minute rushing around the better.
• Figure out your needs. Some of us need to be around people. Some of us are better off taking a Sabbatical from humanity. Don't let family obligations and other duties affect your decision. We are all dealing with a severe chronic illness, with huge consequences when things go wrong. Interpersonal stresses can set us up for a crash and burn at one end, isolation can make us sitting ducks at the other. The only wrong decision is the one you make against your own best judgment.

Finally: Don't be afraid to have a happy holidays. They have been known to happen.

Two of my favorite bloggers, Therese Borchard of Beyond Blue and Willa Goodfellow of Prozac Monologues cover the territory with a lot more depth and insight. On a normal day, their blogs are to me what coffee is to Starbucks. For the holidays, they are a must-read:

From Willa:

• Don't You Love the Holidays?
• At the Movies
  

From Therese:

• 21 Holiday Stress-Busters
• 10 Tips for Steps for Stepfamilies
• Holiday Stress Tips
• Depression Before the Holidays

A Time to Heal

This is my tribute to the spirit of the holidays, shot during a hot and dry California summer.

I started producing my own videos in the spring of '08, during a time I was coping with severe burn-out. The videos helped animate me, brought me back to life. I felt a healing take place.

Until March this year, I never owned a camera. Then I bought a cheapo digital camera and took some very bad pictures of my daughter's wedding. A couple of months later, I got a decent camcorder, then FinalCut Express and I suddenly I was like a kid with new toys.

When my father was my age, bad health forced him into early retirement, a defeated man. I had a lot of my earlier years taken away from me. But here I am, making movies.

Anyway, a happy - and healing - holidays to all.

13 YouTube videos

An article on healing