Merry Christmas

What does Christmas mean to you?

It can mean different things to different people. Often the things that characterise Christmas for some people bring a lot of stress and anxieties; whilst for others, it is a season of love, joy, peace , giving, spending quality time with loved ones, travelling or just allowing oneself to” just be,” focusing on connecting with inner self, finding meaning to life, re-evaluating priorities, assessing how one lived their year and what lessons were learnt.

To Christians, it may mean much more like reconnecting more with the creator of heaven and earth, spending more time with other believers, reading the Bible and praising the Lord for having protected and provided for the whole year, being grateful for devine health and living in a peaceful country, whilst at the same time praying for those displaced by wars, those less fortunate to have something to eat or a roof over their heads, giving to the less fortunate, sharing a meal, volunteering to serve the community and praying for those caught out in floods and storms. Not just physical storms but emotional storms as well.

For counsellors it may mean be able to detach from work and everything that comes with it, being able to process and attend to personal issues, evaluating interventions provided the whole year, assessing if enough self care and clinical supervision was received or provided to the team as should have been, identifying areas of improvement in for next year and being intentional about having a “me time” without feeling quilty about neglecting clients. And all in all, being grateful to experience the end of yet another year and hopeful to see the next one by the grace of God.