RSU Expert: Should We Always Be Happy at Christmas Time?

When we wish each other a happy Christmas, then we foresee that Christmas should be a happy time. But is this always the case? And should we always be promoting happiness at Christmas time? Lecturer of the Faculty of Public Health and Social Welfare and the Department of Health Psychology and Peadagogy of Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) and psychologist Indra Majore-Dūšele stresses that it is essential to be in harmony with oneself at Christmas time by doing something that gives a sense of satisfaction and purpose.

 "I think that we may feel great unease and suffering at the thought of having to feel different to the way we actually feel. For this reason I think that if we experience sadness or annoyance or other feelings that don't feel appropriate at Christmas time the best thing you can do is to allow yourself to feel how you feel," explains psychologist Indra Majore-Dūšele.

Because there may, of course, be a multitude of reasons why you are feeling this sadness at Christmas. Something is not going the way we would like. Maybe we have experienced a sense of loss or feeling lonely. "Then we can ask ourselves, what is it that I really want and can this sadness or other feeling I sense call me to action – to make some changes. May the sadness at Christmas serve as a fuel to get involved in something new. As we all, deep down, want the same thing – we want to experience joy, well-being, a sense of satisfaction – a sense you are leading a meaningful life," says RSU lecturer Indra Majore-Dūšele.

This can be achieved by taking on some meaningful or joyful activity for oneself or for the sake of others, for example:

• you can write a letter to a friend who you have not met for a long time.
• you can write a letter to yourself;
• you can call a relative, who you have not met for a long time;
• you can make a gift for someone who will be glad to receive it.