Whatever holiday on your calendar in December: Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Boxing Day or Festivus - it's sometimes a challenge to stay positive in the midst of the commercialism and general hub-bub. 

Here are a few ways to stay positive during the holidays:

1. Avoid overscheduling yourself. Use an agenda to keep track of your holiday commitments so that you can physically see what you are committing yourself to. Along with your commitments to others make sure to include some downtime for yourself - even if it is half an hour here and there. Knowing that you have some personal time will help you to stay positive.

2. Lower your expectations. Don’t strive for perfection, good enough is okay. Don’t expect your family to be perfect during the holidays. Be realistic about who they are and what your relationship is like with them all year around. That is especially true of blended and step-families.

3. Make a budget and stick to it. The price of the gift is not equal to how much you love them. Focus on the people that you care about instead of the stuff that really doesn’t matter. Beware of the joy-to-stuff ratio: more stuff does not equal more joy.

4. Spread your socializing in the months after the holidays. Don’t try to pack a year’s worth of socializing into a few weeks. Start a new tradition with friends and make a date with friends for mid January or early February.

5. Get as much sleep as you can. Schedule one or two pajama days for yourself or for the whole family - stay in your pj's and stay home and give yourself permission to rest and enjoy some time together without rushing about.Holidays are for celebrating what is truly important to you, your family, and friends. Make it the holiday you want it to be and chances are you will keep a positive attitude. 

My Interview on Decorating Early for Christmas

“Decorating your trees with colorful lights with different textures of ornaments, all of the special things that make your Christmas tree, your Christmas tree, is what really fuels this good time feeling.” -Dr. Deborah Serani✨ pic.twitter.com/M9iNW2m648

— American Christmas Tree Association (@americantrees) November 7, 2024

 

Book Tour: Sometimes When I'm Jealous

Thanks to iRead Book Tours for my latest book tour!

Sometimes When I'm Jealous helps young children work through the complicated emotions of jealousy. As with other books in the "Sometimes When" series, Dr. Deborah Serani, Psy.D, grounds every page in research with gentle prose, while illustrator Kyra Teis brings textured illustrations to deepen the reading experience. A special section at the back of the book provides more information and tips for adults to help little ones work through the jealous feelings. 

And a big thank you to all my tour readers!

@this.human.reads
 @nissa_the.bookworm
 @acourtofspinesnpages
 @stars.and.embers
 @KimBartosch
 @junebug_reads
 Cheryl's Book Nook
 @bookscape__
 Country Mamas With Kids
 @Leannebookstagram
 @onceuponamaltesereader
 @readsandmusic
 @bookameme
 @ginaraemitchell
 @amybooksy
 @regallywritten
 @onceuponafrida
 @lottesbookcorner
 @kiv_coffeeandpages

Goodreads Book Giveaway: "Sometimes When I'm Jealous"

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Sometimes When I'm Jealous

by Deborah Serani

Giveaway ends October 01, 2024.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

5 Star Review for "Sometimes When I'm Jealous"

 Celebrating a 5 star review from Readers' Favorite. 

 

In 2008, inspired by Bebe Moore Campbell’s charge to end stigma and provide mental health support for minority communities, July has since been designated as National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month by the U.S. House of Representatives.

This July's National Minority Health Month's theme is Be the Source for Better Health. Please support #NMHM24 and learn how you can advocate and support diverse cultural populations for better mental health. 

 

In order to bring greater awareness to the experience of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, June has been designated as PTSD Awareness Month in the United States.

And June 27th is National PTSD Awareness Day.

PTSD is a mental health problem that can occur after an adult or child has been directly involved or a witness to a traumatic event, such as sexual or physical assault, natural or man-made disasters, accidents, life threatening medical crises and war-related combat stress. 

Symptoms of PTSD include persistent intrusive thoughts and distressing dreams about the traumatic event, triggered emotional responses to reminders of the trauma, efforts to avoid thinking or talking about the trauma, and persistent hypervigilance for cues that indicate additional danger or trauma may occur. 

PTSD is a serious, but treatable disorder. If you're struggling with symptoms, link here to find out how to access professional mental health. 

Or take a PTSD screening provided by the National Center for PTSD here to learn more about your own traumatic experiences.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

 May is Mental Health Awareness Month.  

The designation of Mental Health Awareness Month was created more than 60 years ago by Mental Health America to raise awareness about mental health conditions and the importance of mental wellness and promoting good mental health for all.

During Mental Health Awareness Month professionals, organizations, schools, communities, hospitals and even media outlets will join together in an effort to raise the awareness about mental health and attempt to decrease the stigma that prevents people from getting the help they need. If you have a mental illness or love someone who does, reach out to the many community resources and planned events this month. Link here for state and local MHA affiliates. And don't forget to wear Lime Green to show your support.

Remember, there is no shame living with a mental illness.