Life Design
Navigating Loneliness During the Holidays
The holiday season is traditionally portrayed as a time of togetherness, love, joy, and belonging. We are inundated with media images of families gathered around a festive table, friends celebrating, and communities coming together.
Paradoxically, for many people, this time of year is instead filled with feelings of loneliness, isolation and disconnection.
The root cause is the societal stereotype and cultural assumption that everyone should be joyful, happy, and surrounded by loved ones during the holidays. If you’re not, for whatever reason, it can lead to feelings of inadequacy, isolation, and social failure.
Holiday loneliness is exacerbated by the stark contrast between our actual circumstances and the commercially driven, idealized versions of holiday gatherings and celebrations we see in advertisements, television shows, movies, and social media. This increases feelings of disconnection, low self-esteem, and even depression.
Loneliness during the holidays can have a significant impact on mental health. Feelings of isolation and disconnection during this time of year can exacerbate existing mental health issues and lead to the development of new ones. The constant reminders of togetherness and joy, combined with a lack of social connections and meaningful interactions, can increase feelings of loneliness, leading to emotional distress, feelings of emptiness and hopelessness, and a decline in overall well-being.
The Spiritual Importance Of Releasing Resentments
I went out for lunch today and had a bad service experience with the waitress. It was as if she didn’t care much to listen to what I wanted. She seemed distracted and careless.
Two and a half months ago, I had a similar experience at another restaurant when the server packed the wrong items for me to take home. I felt ignored, even disrespected. Today’s experience brought back the same feelings and memories.
I was so upset that I decided I was not going to leave her a tip. But then, in the middle of my meal, while feeling angry and somewhat sorry for myself, I overheard a nearby customer calling her friend by the same name as my late mother.
This caused me to pause and reflect on my toxic thoughts about the careless waitress. You see, my mother was also a waitress many years ago. It was how she put food on the table and put us through school.
Perhaps today’s events were meant to remind me during the holiday season how many of us go through life with unhealed “mother wounds.”
Spirit now had my attention and proceeded to make me aware that my waitress had her own issues with her mother growing up, and that she is now a single mother herself, barely making ends meet. This realization instantly changed my perspective and my petulant attitude.
Astrology Forecast December 18 – 24, 2023
The moon glides through Pisces today and tomorrow, bringing a more spiritual tone to the beginning of our week. Those of us who are more sensitive will be more heart-centered and philosophical.
A Mercury in Capricorn trine to Jupiter in Taurus this morning will be very beneficial for business and career prospects. It is a great time to ask for that job offer or apply for that business loan. Just be sure to communicate clearly and effectively, as we are still in the tail end of Mercury Retrograde!
This evening a Pisces Moon trine with Venus in Scorpio will add some romantic spark to love and marriage. Even though it is a ‘school night’ at the beginning of the week, taking that special someone out for a nice dinner could be the start of an entirely new chapter in your relationship life.
Wednesday and Thursday will be busy as the Aries Moon reminds us that there is work to be done before the weekend begins. Fortunately, our energy levels will be elevated and we should easily get through whatever tasks come our way.
The Sun moves into Capricorn when a new zodiac season begins on Thursday, casting a more grounded and safety-conscious aura around us through the end of the year and into the New Year.
How To Start Your Journaling Practice
Journaling is a powerful tool for personal and spiritual growth. As a spiritual practice, it can help bring to light insights that we might otherwise overlook.
However, many people never pursue it because it can seem too difficult and time-consuming to incorporate into their lifestyle, but this is not true. Getting started with journaling is much simpler and easier than people think.
First, remember that you don’t have to write entire essays in your journal. You may want to write a few pages one day, but then just a sentence or two for the next few days.
There’s really no right or wrong way to journal, so don’t create rules or expectations about how much you should write or even what you should write about. At first, you may feel like you don’t really know what you want to write about. That is okay. Don’t judge what you write and don’t pressure or censor yourself in any way. Allow yourself to write whatever you feel moved to write.
You may just want to reflect on some mundane events that happened on an ordinary day, while another day may bring up some strong emotions that you want to write about. Journaling is a great way to vent, and there is something healing about putting your thoughts and feelings on paper.
Good Old-Fashioned Human Connection
Recently I met up with a good friend whom I had not seen in a long time. Our friendship began nine years ago when I lived in another province of Spain, adjacent to the one where I now live.
Of course, since I moved, we see less of each other. Once in a while I drive over to see her, and a round trip takes me about two and a half hours.
She is a vibrant, kind woman who, along with her extended family, helped me through a particularly difficult time a few years ago. They always made me feel very welcome when I lived there and tried very hard to persuade me not to move away!
She can be great company, but lately she has not been as present as she was when we first met. You might have guessed why. Yes, indeed, social media on her phone has become a major new focus for her. It has become a significant distraction during our visits in recent months.
Knowing how kind, generous and caring she truly is, I do not take it personally. I realize that, like many people around the world, her social media messaging and texting became an important substitute for the lack of personal interaction and social connection during the isolated, lonely times caused by the recent pandemic. For many, it has since become a habit and a new way of life, and for some, an addiction.
A few days ago, thankfully, she had an epiphany for which one can only pray. Instead of her constantly scrolling through her phone, we spent some quality time together for a change, strolling around town, eating lunch, and talking non-stop like we had not seen each other in years!
Harnessing Intuition To Be A Better Manager
In the demanding landscape of modern business, effective leadership is more important than ever. As a leader, navigating the complexities of the workplace requires a unique set of skills, and while data-driven decision-making and strategic planning are undoubtedly important, there are powerful tools that are often overlooked: intuition and spirituality.
Inner wisdom and spiritual awareness are invaluable assets for managers seeking to improve their leadership skills. By cultivating a deeper connection with our inner being and the universe, we gain access to a source of wisdom and guidance. It enables one to tap into a deeper understanding and a higher level of consciousness that gives you a winning edge of increased empathy and nuanced awareness in the workplace.
True intuition is more than guesswork or simply a culmination of our past experiences, knowledge, and insights. It is a mystical force, a spiritual superpower, a key component of our inner guidance system.
As a leader, you’ve probably faced countless challenges and solved numerous problems throughout your career. Intuition allows you to tap into the inner guidance of your higher self to make better decisions and more accurate judgments.
The Law Of Reverse Effect
I remember talking to a very distraught client a few years ago about a man with whom she had been having a secret affair for 24 years. It was a relationship she was very obsessed with and had stubbornly pursued for over two decades, despite many red flags and a great deal of frustration and disappointment along the way.
When this man finally got up the courage to divorce his wife, he left not only his wife, but also his mistress. Within three months, he was in a relationship with someone new and told my client that he never really felt that way about her anyway.
She wanted to know how this could be? She expected with 100% certainty that he would be with her and no one else after the divorce, but the exact opposite happened. After all, she had put a lot of time, effort, energy, love, and devotion into this secret relationship, not to mention all the stress, frustration and drama she had to endure for over two decades.
At the time, this tragic story made me think about some of the free will choices I have made in my own life. There have been times when I, too, have stubbornly expected things to turn out a certain way for me because I pursued it with vigor, only to be devastated when it did not. For example, many years ago, a guy I had a huge crush on and thought was really into me ended up hitting on my best friend while we were out on a date! I guess the moral of the story is to never pursue someone who is not really that into you.