Ah, the holidays: Candy canes, cozy slippers, festive lights, family peace, marital joy, and grateful children.
Or not.
The holidays are stressful. There are the challenges of too much family, not enough family, not enough money, continual exposure to food and alcohol, and perhaps worst of all, the gap between our actual life and our fantasy life. As if gazing into the perfect happy scene within a snowglobe, we might fall into a trance of how our life should be.
We might feel torn apart by nostalgia and grief over the good times and good people of the past, and wracked with guilt and inadequacy for failing to create a more wonderful life for ourselves. We might feel scared about our dissatisfaction and hypnotized by the promise of fulfillment just beyond the hard glass.
Addictive and codependent behaviors thrive during this season of fantasy.
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Sometimes I think I’m not addicted enough. I don’t drink, can’t smoke, don’t take any meds, life is pretty bland. Depression is my main struggle, for which I tried kratom (plant based feel-good drug), and one 500mg pill seems to control my depression for months, and I take 500mg every few months. But is it normal to deal with depression other than getting addicted to anti-depressants?
I don’t really want to be around people who take mind-altering medication daily, which is probably why I don’t consider it. But most medications are a socially promoted addiction. I doubt many medical directions say: take a pill when you need it.
Hey, I’m glad that you’ve addressed how difficult the holidays can be for people. You’ve poured a tall glass of “questions to ask one’s self” during the festive season but unfortunately, those who struggle to answer these questions or who don’t like they answers they uncover are all too often left feeling alone in this. Perhaps it would be helpful to provide some information regarding resources for those who may need a little extra support over the holidays.