Happy Holidays, or at least I hope this is a happy season for you. I know it can be difficult if you have experienced loss, or are alone.  I totally understand that, my mother died on January 2, 18 years ago. It was the most difficult Christmas ever. We rushed her to the hospital on Christmas Eve, and the next day (Christmas Day) she came home to die. It was an excruciating week. But, we were so grateful when she finally passed as she no longer needed to suffer. It had been years of suffering.

But, Christmas was ruined for me. My girls were teenagers at the time, so I did what I had to. Once they left home I did nothing for the holidays until my grandchildren were born, when I started to come back around and heal my wounds. In that time, I had also lost a partner, so there just seemed no reason to celebrate.

I look back and I wish that I had started that healing sooner, however, I wasn’t ready, nor did I have anyone to show me the way at that time. 

That still took...

Healing through creativity helps you to explore your emotions, improve self-esteem, manage addictions, relieve stress, improve symptoms of anxiety and depression, and cope with a physical illness or disability.

"Creativity healed me. I don’t know that I could think of any word that I get more inspired by than the word healing." -SARK

Research shows that being creative can improve well-being by increasing positive emotions and decreasing negative emotions. It shows that creativity can reduce depression, stress and anxiety, and improve our ability to express difficult emotions such as grief and sadness.

Being creative gives us opportunities to try out new ideas, and new ways of thinking and problem-solving. Creative activities help us acknowledge and celebrate our own uniqueness and diversity. Creativity encourages self-expression, a way to create something from personal feelings and experiences.

Studies also show that creating stimulates the release of dopamine. This chemical...

Stress and depression can ruin your holidays and hurt your health. Being realistic, planning ahead and seeking support can help ward off stress and depression.

The holiday season in a typical year can bring dizzying demands with gifts, family, friends, events and more. Compound that with the cost and any year can be too much. This year we have the added stressor of Covid that keeps us away from those we love and maybe we have lost a loved one. The holidays are a tough time for many and this year may be even worse.

So, what are some things we can do to help minimize the stress and depression this year? (These tips brought to you by the Mayo clinic)

1. Acknowledge your feelings. If someone close to you has recently died or you can't be with loved ones for other reasons, realize that it's normal to feel sadness and grief. It's OK to take time to cry or express your feelings. You can't force yourself to be happy just because it's the holiday season.

2. Reach out. If you feel lonely or...