HEALTHY HABITSâ—½ YOU
Are you cranky, after the holidays? You’ve now got all the decorations to put away. The kids are all out of whack with their sleeping schedules and yet, school is starting again. The house will look bleak and lonely once all the lights are gone. And you’re not sure the kids liked their gifts. And, oh. You didn’t even like what you got, or didn’t get. Maybe everything seems overwhelming in a different way from how it did in December…and you’re craving something…but you don’t know what it is.
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All of the above and more can make for cranky words and looks and attitudes towards those we love the most, so how do we take that “joy to the world” feeling right on into the new year of 2025?
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Lists are your friend. Place everything that concerns you and overwhelms you and write it down on a list. Pray about the list, physically lift it up as you pray to Him, and ask Him for help to do one thing at a time, as he leads.
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Breathe. Whatever you do to breathe, do it. Maybe it’s coffee/quite time, a walk down the street, a visit with a friend, time with a good book. Take time to breathe, no matter how many things are on your list to do.
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Elevate your thoughts. Your mind really can be your worst enemy or your friend. As you find yourself thinking “downer” thoughts, lift them up with thanksgiving. Give thanks for at least three unlikely things each morning to set your thoughts higher.
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Burn candles or simmer smells. Keep the pine scents and the vanilla wafting through the kitchen all throughout January. That will send the crankiness away…as you breathe and then take in all that winter brings.
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Play music. So the Christmas carols were wonderful and bright, and you played them every day. Why do you have to stop? Or purchase a new album if you have a turn table, or make a whole new list on Spotify of new releases, and play them. And, of course, dance.
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Plan a weekend getaway. Get it on the calendar for late January or early February, just a night or two. In a small town, or in your own downtown, away in a hotel…if funds allow. If not, then just a day trip. Pick a new place to eat, somewhere to shop, maybe a theater in another town, or a trail to hike on a winter’s day.
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Cry. Some days, we just need to cry to release all the tension we carried throughout the holidays of getting everything done and everyone served. Perhaps spend a day baking or not, cleaning or not, or just sitting in your car eating fast food by yourself, and crying about everything that’s on your mind. Let it out and let the tears flow.
Hopefully, you’re feeling less cranky and more hopeful by now. Cranky moments come and go daily, but cranky days and weeks place burdens on our shoulders that cause us to lash out at others and then despise ourselves.
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No crankiness this year, because we’re going to be of good cheer! I’m telling myself this, as well!