Christmas neurosis

There is something synchronistic about Christmas coming at the end of the year. Christmas brings up everything that is missing or you've lost in the year gone by. And to make matter worse, Madison Avenue forces a picture of what it should be that few people really experience. So how do you survive Christmas and launch the new year with optimism?

Here are four steps to increasing your Christmas spirit:

1) Give back- volunteer some time to a charity, your church, or homeless shelter. If you don't have time for that, extend your christmas spirit to everyone you meet.

2) resist filling up on desserts. Sugar depresses the immune system as well as your mood and that includes alcohol.

3) Spend fifteen minutes a day in meditation. If you hate meditating, pray for peace on the planet.

4) Twelve days prior to X-mas, think of one person a day you have held some kind of grievance toward and forgive them.

On Dec 31, do a ritual in which you thank the universe for all the grace disguised as challenges you brought into your life this year. Happy Holidays, everyone!

Dr. Toni