Ah, the day after Christmas. The day after anything always presents some unique opportunities. The day after a party, a wedding, a trip, a promotion, a kiss - any special event - is often a challenge. With a bit of journaling TLC, you’ll actually come to love these rare times of suspended animation following any big deal.
Mainly, the day after is a chance for us to enrich our mundane lives by thinking about the event’s meaning and committing to ways we can bring that meaning into daily awareness. The 26th of December is prime time for reflecting in your journal on the activities of the holiday, describing them in detail and mining them for jewels to store in your heart.
Then when we’ve had enough of looking back and we turn our gaze to the future during our day-after contemplations, things start to get really interesting. This is when the nostalgia evaporates and the hangover sets in. We stare out into a featureless stream of life-as-usual rolling out before us. The holiday’s expectations and preparations kept us happily preoccupied for weeks, but now it’s all just same-old-same-old. It’s as if your life will become nothing more than an endless string of Wednesdays.
Talk about challenging. Nothing, however, that your journal can’t handle with characteristic flair!
1. First, remember to use this day for all it’s worth. No sense trying to avoid its energies. So if your future looks bleak, by all means do not pretend it looks cheery and fine. Write, write, write deep down into the picture your mind presents. What, exactly, is that bleakness?
Who is this person who feels depressed because the holiday is over?
2. Second, explore ways you can profit from the sensations of your day after. Is your mood leading you in some specific direction, urging you to relax, or play, or adventure, or sleep? Ask your journal what you are being encouraged to do or be as a result of the day-after outlook that preoccupies you at the moment. Then let yourself sink into that activity (or non-activity). You’ll find satisfaction in it!
If I stop resisting my inner urges, maybe I can understand and benefit from the message of my emotions.
3. Finally, write out a small plan in your journal. Nothing extensive, just think of one definite plan for tomorrow and write out how you will make it happen. It could be something as small as your plan to do laundry or visit your friend. It could be a plan to get started on developing a new healthy habit or to laugh more or open a savings account. Whatever the goal, devote generous journaling time to describing the strategies you’ll use tomorrow when you implement this plan.
By writing down a small plan for tomorrow, I begin to understand my own choices better and enjoy playing with my own imagination. This process shows me the wealth of my potential, both inner and outer.
Is the day after a celebration always a big let-down for you? Try thinking of it as a gift instead of a disappointment. It’s a great chance for rest and recuperation, but it’s also an opportunity to discover more about who you are and what you naturally want.
Our 27 Days Life Changing Journaling Challenge starts January 1. Talk about the day after! New Year’s Day is the daddy of them all, right? Do it write this time! Register now.
Image from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/chainsawpanda/341068400/
Leave Comment