New Years

The holiday blues refers to specific feelings and symptoms that can mimic depression such as:

I haven’t a clue, but I thought that question might get your attention. I doubt that God makes resolutions. I’m quite confident that whatever He’s planning will occur exactly as He wishes. I’m a bit less certain about my own plans.

I’ve never been inclined toward “New Year’s resolutions.” They always seemed sort of frivolous to me. So many people join a gym or buy expensive exercise equipment, and by February the gym is empty and the exercise machine becomes a high-priced storage rack.

Have you thought about wrapping up the old year? How about plans for the new year?

note: Members may discuss this workshop in the Message Boards HERE

Welcome to our Special Workshop tonight
"Surviving the Holidays with a Dysfunctional Family" Workshop

For many, the Christmas season is not a time of warm cozy feelings and precious memories. For some, it is a time of reliving the nightmares of childhood abuse and not wanting to return home for Christmas. It is a reminder of broken relationships and children in the custody of “the other parent.” It is a season of struggles to stay clean and sober and out of trouble when attending Christmas gatherings. How can we not only survive, but also thrive during the Christmas season?

2 Peter: 1:5-6: Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness.

I turned on the TV to hear the news and the weather report. In a commercial, the person said this is the season “of overspending and overindulging.”

Years ago, a friend told me she gains 10-15 pounds every Christmas season. My mind pictured her in January with her eyes bulging out of her head as she tried to squeeze into her jeans. Vaseline on her legs wouldn’t have helped her slide her body into those jeans.

An acquaintance told me that when his credit card bill from last Christmas came it was as high as the national debt.

Psalms 119:117 KJV
Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe: and I will have respect unto thy statutes continually.

It's almost here! That time of year when drinking and eating just about anything and everything you can is the rule rather than the exception. The risk for relapse is extremely high, it's holiday season. Thanksgiving, Kwanzaa, Chanukah, Christmas, Chinese New Year and other ritualistic celebrations that seem to justify drinking in excess and using drugs for some people are coming. The holiday season is the perfect time to jeopardize your program if you are not careful.

Holidays are so difficult; my in-laws are so mean to me. Can I just stay home?

First of all, in order to stay home, would you have to make up an excuse or could you tell the truth about why you wanted to bow out of the activities? In this case, doing the right thing may be very difficult, but no less necessary.

I would guess that you could come up with several people who would be very hurt and disappointed by your absence. My advice is to focus on them. Make those few people your comfort for the day. You can sit by them, talk to them and lean on them for support. Focus on your support system instead of those few hurtful people who try to make you suffer.

Deeply Troubled?

If your are greatly disturbed either spiritually, mentally or emotionally, it is imperative that you seek professional help IMMEDIATELY. Chats are not to be confused with group therapy or professional counseling sessions. Chats are solely for participants to share one another's personal experience, strength and hope.

Phone the appropriate
Hotline (worldwide listing) or Christian Counseling Ministry

Suicidal?

Suicide National Hotline
1.800.SUICIDE (1.800.784.2433)

National Suicide Hotline
1.888.248.2587

National Youth Crisis & Suicide Hotline
1.800.621.4000