People have different experiences during the Holiday Season. For many it is a time of joy, peace, good will and optimistic hope for the New Year. For others it is a time of self-evaluation, to reflect on the past, or to review accomplishments and failures.

Regardless of the approach to the Holidays, for many people, this time of year results in feelings of loneliness, detachment, and sometimes depression. There are many different causes and contributors of these feelings and severe cases may even mimic clinical depression. Follow these five easy tips for getting in front of Holiday Depression:

Get your mind right – The first priority for this Holiday Season is to get in the right frame of mind. Think about what the Holidays mean to you and get a clear firm picture of the feelings you want to experience throughout the Holidays and even into the New Year.

Plan your Holiday experience – Once you know what you want to experience or leave the Holidays feeling, then plan your activities so as to create those experiences and/or feelings. For instance, if you wish to enter the New Year with feelings of gratitude & love, then plan to volunteer at a local homeless shelter, soup kitchen, or youth home.

Grow your relationships – The Holidays are a time for being together. Set a goal of nurturing one or more relationships during this period. Pick out one or two “acquaintances” or friends, and make it a point to have a stronger relationship after the New Year than you have today. Do what it takes to get there.

Plan your spending – Don’t overspend for the Holidays. Many times the worst part about the Holidays is the dread of receiving the credit card bills in January. Remember, the Holidays are more about relationships than about commercialism. Resist the illusion or temptation of buying your way into the hearts of your loved ones.

Serve someone else – Nothing makes for a great Holiday experience than doing something nice for someone else. Instead of feeling pressured to buy something for every friend, co-worker, or employee, send each of them a card with a note saying “I served soup at the local soup kitchen in your honor,” or any manner of other service-oriented activities.

Dr. Jeff Standridge is co-Author of The Abundance Principle: Five Keys to Extraordinary Living (http://www.TheAbundancePrinciple.com). He can be reached at http://www.AbundantLifeProject.com, or by emailing Jeff@AbundantLifeProject.com.

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