'Twas the Blog Before Christmas...

My hopes and wishes for joyfulness during the holiday season and all year around.

A few months ago, I shared "How I Recovered From Empty Nesting Syndrome" and the lessons that I have learned in the process. Although I have recovered from the initial feelings of emptiness and grief, the holidays and special occasions are triggering and hard for me still.

This holiday season marks my 3rd as an empty nest parent in Hong Kong with my sons studying and living in Canada. My consolation thought was that my sons would at least be able to spend Christmas together as brothers in Canada, while my husband and I celebrate in Hong Kong. There would be some form of family togetherness.

But this week as I watch the news in North America and Canada, it was growing more and more evident that Mother Nature and the "once-in-a-generation winter storm" were going to keep many families stranded apart for Christmas.

So now my younger son is stranded in the US where he was visiting friends while my older son is home alone in Canada. With the messiness of mass flight cancellations and the weather system expected to last through this holiday weekend, there is currently no hard date for when my younger son can fly back to Canada.

My brain went into overthinking mode and started spiraling on a list of "what if" scenarios that only added to my stress and anxiety of being unable to help them from this side of the globe.

So I reminded myself of the 3 steps to stop overthinking from my post last week, "How to Stop Overthinking and Limiting Your Potential".

1. Recognize When You Are In An Overthinking Loop

2. Sort Out the Overthinking Thoughts

3. Reframe Overthinking Worries With Mindfulness

While my heart is sad that they are geographically alone for Christmas this year, I am grateful that they both have a warm roof over their heads and a place to be safe through the winter storms heading their way.

So in this blog before Christmas, I am reminding myself that joyfulness and togetherness can be felt even when we are apart from our loved ones. In our instantly connected world of technology, we can send our love and care with a tap on our phones, tablets and computers.

If you are feeling the winter blues during the holiday season or anytime throughout the year, don't be afraid to reach out and connect with someone else who may be feeling the same.

"And that, of course, is the message of Christmas. We are never alone. Not when the night is darkest, the wind coldest, the world seemingly most indifferent..."

Taylor Caldwell

I end this short holiday post with my wishes of joyfulness and hope to you and yours for Christmas and all year around.

Sincerely wishing you and your family a joy-filled holiday season!

My recommended AYCLimitless.com articles for your holiday reading:

Family Connections That Endure: 3 ways to share your life stories with your children so that your connection with them lasts their lifetime.

Building a Gratitude Mindset: 3 tips to train your brain to see with gratitude and control each day to be a better day.

Books That Inspire Action: Episode 3 - "A Boy Called Christmas": 5 life-affirming lessons from "A Boy Called Christmas" by Matt Haig.

I would love to hear your comments!

How are you spending your holiday season?

What message would you like to pass to family and friends you cannot be with this Christmas?

Thank you for spending time on AYCLimitless.com

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