Baby boomers need to be resilient during the holiday season

What should baby boomers do during the holidays when things spin out of our control, and we’re hit with disappointment, loss, and heightened levels of anxiety and pressure?

In the article "The Baby Boomer Holiday Ritual: Wishing You a Merry Resilience," Carol Orsborn, boomer writer, gives this advice:

It's often enough just to remember to breathe. Wrap yourself in the warmest blanket and cozy down in the biggest armchair you can find and acknowledge what you're feeling.

In the beginning, you don't have to be brave or worry about cheering yourself and others up. In fact, if you are hit with the knowledge that your holidays are spinning out of control, the first thing you may need to do is grieve the loss of the fantasy.

Once you've had a good pout, tantrum, or cry over it, you'll find yourself able to embrace rather than suppress important parts of yourself that you’ll need to call upon in order to make the most of the holidays. And that, fellow boomers, is – indulge me – definitely something to celebrate.

Resilience is less a matter of the things that happen to us, and more about the attitudes we adopt, Orsborn says in the article. And, she adds, research shows that the older we become, the more resilient we have the opportunity to become.

Good luck this holiday season. I’ve already had the opportunity to practice resilience, and I’m sure I’ll be able to have another turn soon.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Comments

[healthy lifestyle]

merry xmas to all! have a happy holiday this coming christmas! =)

[Rita]

Merry Christmas to you, too. It's a grand time of the year, but I've had to use my resilience techniques several times.

Rita