Anybody else find christmas or new year a difficult time?

[Stella]

These last few years upon celebrating christmas that its come to my awareness at least in my life, every year the season gets harder and much more challenging as one launches themselves into a new year. Has anyone else other than myself had moments where they thought how am I supposed to survive through this and make the changes that are necessary to be made? What with the constant succession of the high tides and the floods too around the country in the UK, christmas seems to be a time where hardship is most noticeable. I'm not sure about you but everything seems to be happening around this end of the year conclusion, perhaps tis a series of bad luck, which my family have gone through but lately it seems to be the case that there is no good news appearing. Like everything has happened one after the one in repetitive turns. I'm not sure if its history repeating itself or just that my family is one of the unluckier ones. But wondering if I'm not alone in this in thinking that christmas time or around new year is the hardest time of the year. Its like we're stuck in a never ending negative cycle of not so great things happening. What can I do to solve it? if anything? Your thoughts on how this question would be greatly appreciated.

[DavidMcCann]

But wondering if I'm not alone in this in thinking that christmas time or around new year is the hardest time of the year.

It is hard because, with all the relentless celebration going on around you, you naturally feel worse when you have less to celebrate. I remember a couple of years ago having an attack of gout on Christmas Day: no medicine in the cupboard and a trip to A & E the only way to get some! Not very festive. And, as you say, the weather doesn't help. Everyone feels depressed when it's cold, wet, and dark: that's why we all have a celebration in winter, be it Christmas, Solstice, Saturnalia, or Yule.

I'm sorry you've had a hard Christmas, but — trite as the saying may seem — everything passes eventually. May the gods bless you and you family in 2014!

[Redfaery]

These last few years upon celebrating christmas that its come to my awareness at least in my life, every year the season gets harder and much more challenging as one launches themselves into a new year.

 
I've found this too; a large part of it has to do with the fact that I'm now 27 and still feel like I'm just a kid. It's hard for me to deal with the fact that I'm an adult now, and have accomplished so little. So the coming of the snow each year is a sort of Memento Mori for me. Every time it comes, I'm another year older and still stuck. Things are getting better for me, really. But it's awfully hard to deal with the fact that I still feel so....immature.

[mlr52]

 Its like we're stuck in a never ending negative cycle of not so great things happening. What can I do to solve it? if anything? Your thoughts on how this question would be greatly appreciated.

 
Start a graditude list add to it every day without duplicating what is on it.  Get out in the sun as much as you can.  My doctor sugestted that I take 5,000 units of vitiam D daily.

[DavidMcCann]

I've found this too; a large part of it has to do with the fact that I'm now 27 and still feel like I'm just a kid. It's hard for me to deal with the fact that I'm an adult now, and have accomplished so little.

Life isn't a competition: you don't have to score points! There was a rabbi who said "When I die, God is not going to blame me for not being another Moses. But he'd be entitled to blame me for not being me." Be yourself and learn to appreciate yourself: it's not what you do that matters, but what you are.

[Larix]

There was a rabbi who said "When I die, God is not going to blame me for not being another Moses. But he'd be entitled to blame me for not being me."

 Be yourself and learn to appreciate yourself: it's not what you do that matters, but what you are.

 
Wise words!

And good advice!

[Jainarayan]

But wondering if I'm not alone in this in thinking that christmas time or around new year is the hardest time of the year. Its like we're stuck in a never ending negative cycle of not so great things happening. What can I do to solve it? if anything? Your thoughts on how this question would be greatly appreciated.

 
I don't think you're alone in thinking that, but I also don't think Christmas time is any worse a time than any other time for things to happen. It only seems that way because the jollity, good cheer, righteousness, happiness are foisted on us by advertisers. We're told it has to be a happy time of year, and that all life's problems are supposed to be put on hold or in suspended animation. Our lives are held up to print and television ads showing affluent, beautiful and young people and families having a wonderful ol' time at sparkling parties and family dinners, or power shopping for all the "gimme gimme I want I want" things. If our lives don't match that, we feel somewhat short-changed, or worse, like failures. Nah, that ain't the real world... it's all a load of advertising bullcrap. The day and time of year are what we make it.

I may sound jaded and bitter about it, and I am to a certain degree... not because I am personally affected by it anymore (I won't let it affect me), but because there are people out there, like you, who are made to feel there is something wrong with you. There isn't. The problems we have today are going to be the same ones we have on Christmas Day, and the problems we have on Christmas Day are going to be the same ones we have today. It's only our perceptions that change. I won't let it get to me.

Last year I made several attempts to find a place that might need volunteers for Christmas time dinners or festivities for the disadvantaged, or a homeless shelter, a shelter for children or women, or animals. There's nothing in my area that provides such services, but it's a thought. I have a large family on both sides (my family and my in-laws), so it's not a matter of being lonely but I'd quite rather help someone who needs it.

When all is said and done, yeah, I hate this time of year also... for the reasons I said above.