How To Hold Your Own During The Holidays ©2014 Joan M. Newcomb
It’s that time of year again. We’re heading into the time of family gatherings. We’re being inundated with ads, movies, and shop windows filled with gifts and expectations.
When you visit with relatives, everyone reverts to old behavior patterns. No matter how much therapy you’ve had, it’s hard not to fall into the familiar scripts. How do you not match the prevalent energy level?
Perhaps you don’t have family and are happily on your own. How do you convince well-meaning observers that you’re a healthy, well-adjusted person who happens to be spouse-and-child-free?
How do you hold your own during the holidays?
We cover a lot of these issues on our November 5th radio show including some helpful Consciousness tools. I thought I’d add a couple more here.
The Bug-Zapper: Imagine yourself surrounded by iridescent blue light, just like those electronic devices that hang outside your back door, keeping flying insects from entering the house. Any negative thoughts or projections that come at you from the outside gets instantly zapped. However, it also neutralizes any negative thoughts or projections from *inside* as well! I used this at a wedding last year and it felt wonderful!!
Different Colors: When you walk into a home or a party you can feel the prevalent energy of the place. One way to not be either raised up to their level of frenzy or brought down to their level of gloom, is to be a 1/2 above the energy. Imagine what that vibration would be if it were a color (some people hear or feel it) and let yourself be a half step lighter. You won’t be too out of sync, but enough to keep your own sense of self!
Doorways and Portals: Every door or archway can step you into a different Universe, as effortlessly as stepping into different movies at a multiplex or different soundstages in Hollywood. Just by getting up to go to the restroom, you shifted realities in several ways. By the time you return you can be in an entirely different scenario! Your family still looks the same, but the atmosphere can be completely different.
All of these tools work best when done playfully, from a space of amusement and fun. Try these out and see what happens!
Joan Newcomb is co-host of Conscious Conversations with Joan and Janet on Voice America’s 7th Wave. To read more articles like this, go to her blog.  To hear more about handling the holidays tune in on Wednesday at 3pm PT, 6pm ET, 10pm UTC
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