What's New on WHR (Jan 2010)

WHEE-kly article:    

The Mixed Blessings of Wishes for Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year     

By Daniel J. Benor, MD      

I often cringe not just a little when I hear people offer glowing wishes for Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year. No, I'm not an old curmudgeon or Grinch in the disguise of a wholistic therapist. I'm a traveler on many paths of healing – personal, professional, global and spiritual.

I also hasten to add immediately that I would never discourage someone from bringing in the light and cheer of positive attitudes and wishes for joyous experiences on the occasions of holidays, points of transition, and other opportunities for smiles, warm fuzzies and celebrations. And I'm not just pointing out, as Tom Lehrer did in one of his pointedly comic songs about being kind to each other during American National Brotherhood Week, that we should be happy that it doesn't last all year.

What bothers me is the gloss and glitter in our holiday decorations and well-wishing cards, internet communications and festivities, that seems to transfer into superficially glittery thinking about life, the universe and everything. By focusing on being happy happy, we set ourselves up with unreal expectations on the one hand, and create negative attitudes about the shadowy, plain, undecorated parts of our lives because they are not glitzy. I offer a few recipes here for what feel to me to be healthier holiday wishes.

Common problems and suggested antidotes:

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