Happy 2023! A new year brings new discoveries to make. And that can be exciting, don’t you think?

I know that the holidays were probably hard for many of you. They weren’t easy for me either. It took using all my tools and strategies to help me stay balanced as we moved into Christmas and then New Year’s. With my family spread out and my parents long gone, I could well have gone down that dark familiar pit for a while.

I learned a few things these past few weeks that helped me stay out of that rabbit hole, some of which surprised me. Sure, I used my tried and true method of dancing to upbeat music when I saw signs of depression looming – and it worked! And yes I tried to stay physically active, which was a challenge with the cold and often rainy weather we had for a while. And I tried (emphasis on try!) to not eat too many holiday sweets (ah, well…), knowing that too much sugar can have real negative effects on me both physically and mentally.

But one thing I discovered – a real surprise, to me at least – was that I had to stop watching those lovely (read sappy) holiday tv movies. I used to watch a few of them every holiday season and did just fine. But this year, I found that they were a trigger for sadness and depression to burst on the scene! Who knew?!

I’ve never really had problems watching rom-com movies before. But this year, the Holidays were a different matter. Each time I’d sit down to watch any of these movies, I quickly started going downhill. I found myself curling up, my breathing would get shallower and I often called my dog over to cuddle up on the couch with me, something he doesn’t get to do often.

As I noticed this pattern, I realized it was seeing families getting together and the holiday-related conversations and circumstances that were having a negative impact on me. I know. It may sound silly to some of you. BUT recognizing a trigger BEFORE it throws you over the edge is crucial. And side-stepping the trigger can mean the difference between getting stuck in a cold, dark place and moving forward, with only a bit of sadness instead.

It was an obvious choice to make.

And that’s the thing that I’ve written and spoken about before – especially in my book You Aren’t Depression’s Victim. We have a choice as to whether we go down into that dark pit. The choice may only show up for a brief moment. You have to be open to seeing / recognizing it. And when you do, oh what a difference it makes!

So here’s a question. When you look back at how your holidays went, did you go down into the depression pit? No judgement here. If you did, do you recall if there was a moment where you might have done something that could have helped you side-step it?

As the saying goes, you (we) can’t change anything until we know where we are now. If and when you can recognize that moment, that option to do something different will lead you to a different result, THAT can empower you to stay more balanced, regardless of your circumstances or how you feel.

I do know something about this. I’ve dealt with health stuff on and off for years. The past few years, some of it has tried to get me to go down to visit that dark place. But the cost is too high and I don’t want to go there anymore. So I make a different choice.

The point is, the more you’re aware of what’s going on inside, of how you feel, of your self-talk (that negative voice that’s yammering at you in your head), the more you can begin to recognize that small voice that says “wait! There’s another choice you can make!”

Then it’s up to you whether you follow through with positive action that can lead up forward or not. But at least you’ll see that you have a choice!

So start listening for that small voice inside – the one with positive things to say, not the negative self-talk that tries to drag you down. You get to choose!

And THAT can lead to some really cool new positive discoveries for this coming year. And that a difference THAT can be!

Also, I want to thank everyone who’s subscribed to this blog. Your kind and encouraging words mean a great deal to me. Even if I haven’t responded directly to you, know that I’ve read all your comments. And I do appreciate you coming back to find out what else I have to say!

Oh One more thing. Stay tuned for some VERY exciting announcements over the next month or two. Talk about new discoveries!!!