Alone Over the Holidays? Share your ideas!

by Wendy, www.retirement-online.com

Alone Over the Holidays? How do you Stay Happy at this time of year? What do you do to bring a bit of joy into your life?

Being alone over the holidays can be a positive experience. Instead of being sad and blue, you can find ways to stay happy, productive, and full of joy during the holiday season. A few single seniors at church are just that -- full of joy! I wonder where they find it all. I do. They are busy greeting everyone coming in the door, chatting from person to person, and simply making everyone know YOU MATTER. Whether you do things for yourself or for other people, there's much about the holidays that can keep you from feeling alone in the world.

When planning your holiday, reflect carefully about the kinds of things that you might enjoy. Perhaps you could volunteer to help others or go away on a holiday so you aren't around your home and have a lot of new sights. No matter what you choose to do, know that you have plenty of options if you're alone over the holidays.

1. Take a trip to somewhere. Look at the local Senior Center and maybe they have holiday bus trips. When you travel, there's always something new to see. Your mind expands into new possibilities. Even if you stay close to home or are only gone a few days, the break can be very refreshing.


2. Volunteer your time to people in need. Whether you read to children, visit an assisted living facility, hand out food at a soup kitchen, or give of your time in some other way, you'll quickly see that you have much to be thankful for. Gratitude in life is the key!

3. Be a blessing to as many people as possible. Call friends you haven't been in touch with and ask how they are. Make cookies (even the "done for you" type in the dairy aisle) and wrap them up pretty to take to others. Drive in the big shopping lots -- help seniors who have lost their car. Heck, its COLD out there, give them a ride to find it (I love doing this, they are so grateful!) Look for ways to help others wherever you go.


4. Network with others who are also alone. If you can find a group of widows, divorcees, or others without family close to them over the holidays, get together with them. Create great holiday memories that you can hang onto all year long.

You can celebrate the holiday in whatever way you choose when you're by yourself. That's very empowering, when you look at it from a positive perspective. What you do with your time will greatly affect how you feel over the holidays and into the New Year.

Alone Time Can Be Positive

When you're spending time with others, remember that some alone can also be good for your mind and soul. Spending time by yourself and learning to be happy in the quiet times of your life can help you move forward in understanding yourself and others. When you do that, you find peace easier than you would if you avoided dealing with your alone times.

It's okay to be lonely sometimes! It's even possible to be lonely around a bunch of people (coming from an introvert here), or to be lonely and happy at the same time. Loneliness is an emotion. You can acknowledge it as a natural human attribute and then work towards focusing on other things that are important to you to help distract you from the lonely feelings.

Your time alone, balanced with time spent with others, can lead to a full, rich life in which you'll accomplish much. You'll feel better about yourself and others and have more to give back, even during this holiday season.

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