Make Plans to Celebrate: Even During Difficult Times
Each month in my PowerSheets Tending List, there is a small space at the top of the page where you are encouraged to list your “Priority” for the month. I have used it for prioritizing goals and projects, but lately, as my goals have shifted to self-care and promoting mental health, I have used it to write out my word of the month.
My December PowerSheets Tending List. If you want to see how I set up my tending lists each month, follow me on Instagram- @planonthesunrise.
A few weeks ago, I posted this article on choosing the words that inspire us. Everyone chooses a word of the year, but I have found that making a single word my priority for the month helps remind me of what I found to be important when prepping the month’s goals and habits.
As I filled out my PowerSheets for December, I found myself at a crossroads. 2020 has been such a difficult year for me and so many. I’m sure anyone reading this article can relate.
I remembered this time last year, when all the difficulties of that year (my daughter’s illness seemed to be worsening, lots of home repairs, etc.) left me resentful and wishing for 2020, if only to be done with 2019. Little did I know what 2020 would have in store for all of us.
Staring into the unknown of 2021 reminded me that we still don’t know what will happen in the next few months. It could be surprisingly good or disappointingly bad.
What I do know is that if I put off experiencing the good- even if there’s only a little of it- until things “go back to normal” or somehow fit some notion of what is “right,” will only delay the joy I could feel right now. In other words, I can choose to be resentful or I can celebrate the good.
So, with that in mind, I decided that rather than finish out the year declaring good riddance to 2020, I would instead choose a more positive path. I decided to make my priority word of the month “Celebrate.”
Table of Contents
Reasons to Celebrate During Difficult Times
When I looked up celebrating during tough times, there were a few articles that were published this year. Some talked about celebrating in the context of running a business. Others gave tips on how to celebrate a birthday during the shutdown.
I also found an article that dated back to the 2008 recession when the economy was so bad, folks struggled to find the positive in life. Another spoke of celebrating during times of personal loss such as divorce or the passing of a loved one.
What all of these articles have in common is a shared belief that celebration is a choice. And, as someone who can easily focus on how empty my half-filled glass is, I can tell you that I find it helpful to know I have choices.
There are many reasons to celebrate, even during difficult times. Here are a few:
- Building resilience. In an article I posted just a couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the art of pivoting. Being able to shift our direction when we encounter obstacles in our path is the key to moving forward even when we feel our lives or the world is at a standstill. When we learn to celebrate, even during difficult times, we are learning to pivot and preparing ourselves to bounce back from whatever negative circumstances have tried to bring us down. Resilience is a key component to success. Those who fall and get back up are more likely to learn from their mistakes and improve their situations. Celebrating the good helps us maintain the positive attitude it requires to bounce back.
- Cultivating Gratitude. When we celebrate, we are choosing to see the good in things. And, that is at the core of gratitude. I have written several articles on gratitude and how important it is to maintaining a positive mindset. You cannot celebrate during tough times without find reasons to be joyful. And, when you identify that joy, you are showing your gratitude and appreciation for it.
- Warding Off the Blues. Nothing keeps me in a dark state of mind than wallowing in the negativity of my bad circumstances. It sours my mood and makes me feel even more unhappy than the original circumstance that gave rise to the feeling. By finding reasons to celebrate, I pull myself out of that sad state and start to feel better emotionally, in the same way that smiling and laughter can lighten our mood. (Of course, if you are in a state of true, clinical depression – or believe you may be – please be sure to seek the help of a professional).
- Maintaining Hope. Celebrating the good we have now, even if it’s got some dark clouds hanging over it, is a great way to remind us that the world is not all good or all bad. Instead, life is a series of ups and downs, and none of them are permanent. By choosing to find the positive things and celebrating it, we foster the hope that “this too shall pass.” Hope is an important component of the human spirit. People who have lived through terrible circumstances (such as holocaust survivors or prisoners of war) have said that hope was what helped them to survive and find joy later in their lives. Finding the reasons to celebrate encourages us to do the same and gives us the hope we need to make it through difficult seasons.
- Healing. There are many times in life when the event that caused us to feel down is really significant. Losing a job, the end of a relationship, a serious medical diagnosis, or a death will cause deep sorrow and pain. It is absolutely necessary to acknowledge and validate the pain we are feeling. It may take us some time to truly feel better. However, when we choose to celebrate in the aftermath of such a time, we may find that the celebration can help us find a way to move forward. Whether it is remembering the beautiful life of someone who has passed, or seeing the generosity of those who cared for us during an illness, we can choose to celebrate the good that underlies the difficulty in any situation.
Defining “Celebrate”
As a writer, I admit to being a word geek. So, yes, I looked up the word celebrate and was actually a little surprised when I discovered that the definition of celebrate was not about throwing a party or something along those lines.
For the graphic above, I listed the second definitions that good old Merriam-Webster lists for “celebrate.” The first has to do with performing a sacred rite (like a Catholic mass) and the last definition was about making a public announcement.
Instead, I found that the second definition- broken up into two parts was more of what we think about when we celebrate. And, I really like that they don’t require the mess and pressure of having a big party.
The first is “to honor (an occasion, such as a holiday) especially by solemn ceremonies or by refraining from ordinary business.” The “or” is a big one for me, since I wasn’t picturing a “solemn ceremony” when I chose my word for December 2020. Instead, I like the thought of honoring an occasion by just doing something outside of our normal routine.
The second was a variation on that first one “to mark (something, such as an anniversary) by festivities or other deviation from routine.” While we normally think of celebrating in terms of “festivities,” there is again the notion that doing something out of the norm is away to celebrate.
When we consider a celebration as just doing something different (and I would add, enjoyable), we honor events and occasions in our lives. And, there’s no requirement that the occasion be an official holiday or major life event. We can celebrate simply by choosing to do something a little different and special at different times in our lives.
Different Ways to Celebrate
So, what are some different things we can do break up our routines and bring a little celebration into our day to day lives? Here are just a few off the top of my head:
Experiences. Even when parks and businesses are shut down, there are still ways to break up our routines and have some experiences that help us celebrate. During the holidays, we drove around our city using an app that led us to the best holiday light displays in our area. We made hot chocolate that we poured into travel mugs and brought our Christmas-themed blankets to keep us cozy in the car. There are also great virtual events. We toured an Egyptian Museum, watched a streaming concert of our local symphony, and took an art tutorial through a group we joined on Facebook, making a winter-themed acrylic paintings. Each experience was different and that made it feel like a celebration.
Photo, art, and journaling. One way I find myself encouraged to celebrate is through my creative outlets. Whether it’s taking a walk and photographing the changing leaves or creative journaling with different art media, I find myself exploring what makes me happy and will inspire me. This might lead to walking in a different park, doing some silly stuff with the kids, or making a fancy supper. The desire to document something positive can inspire us to try something different.
Meals. Whether it’s trying a different recipe, eating in the barely touched dining room, or taking out the fancy china, a meal can be a celebration. We often try to make special meals for special dates, and not just the holidays listed in the calendar. This Time and Date website has a list of wacky holidays – nearly one or more for every day of the year. A good number of them are food-related (from Buffet Day on January 2nd to Bicarbonate of Soda day on December 30th), which may inspire some fun meals or new foods to try. And eating on different plates in different rooms of your house can also make the event feel like a celebration. If setting out the nice china feels stressful, just use paper plates and eat in the living room while watching a movie. It only needs to be a “deviation from the routine.” You can also celebrate others by mailing a care package or making a meal for someone who cannot go out. I’ve also heard of virtual potlucks where folks make several servings of one dish and swap them out with others so you all have effectively “shared” a meal.
Reconnecting with people. This is another suggestion that may seem difficult to pull off when we are being encouraged to keep our distance from one another. That said, being in person is not the only way to connect with someone. Group video conferences and one-on-one FaceTime calls are an obvious way to get around the not-getting-together rule. So long as the group is small, meeting up at a park or other outdoor venue might be an option as well. However, going back to the snail-mail version of FaceTime such as a writing a letter is also a great way to reconnect with a loved one. Break out the colorful pens and craft supplies, and you can celebrate your relationship in really creative ways.
Rediscovering what brings you joy. Has it been a while since you picked up your instrument that you used to love to play? Is there a hobby you used to enjoy that you set aside? Another way to celebrate your way out of tough times is to go back to those tried and true activities that have brought you joy in the past. When you do this, you are not limited to things that most adults find to be fun. Reconnect with that little kid who is still inside of you and wants to build with blocks, go to town on a coloring book, or string beads on a necklace. The only rules are that the activity is one you don’t normally do and it makes you happy.
How to Use Planners and Journals to Focus on Celebrating
You knew that I wouldn’t be able write an article like this without fitting in my favorite tools: planners and journals. They are particularly helpful tools if we think of celebration being something different and out of our routine.
Planners
Your Main Planner. Unless we plan for something new in our daily or weekly routine, we are likely to forget about it or not have enough time to fit it in. This has happened to me many times. I end up wanting to do something different but never get around to it because I haven’t planned it into my week. Look ahead in your planner and figure out what you need to do to make the celebration happy. The planner I’m talking about is the master planner- the main one where you keep your important to dos and appointments (see this prior post to learn more about using multiple planners. Do you have to sign up for the virtual tour? Schedule when you’ll do that. Does your special meal require fancy ingredients? Leave yourself time to shop online or in the store for it. If you add these celebrations to the planner that you use to schedule your days, you’re more likely to make the celebration happen.
Your Goal Planner. Or, at least a section of your planner where you set out your goals. Celebrating life doesn’t just have to be a one-time thing to cheer you up during a difficult time. You can use either a goal-setting planner (like the PowerSheets Planner I reviewed here) or try some of the goal-setting steps I covered in this prior post. The important thing is to figure out what will truly feel like a celebration to you and then map out how you plan to get there. If a fancy meal once a week feels like way to fit celebrating into your life, flesh out what that should look like and what it will take to do this on a weekly basis. Use a habit tracker to give yourself a gold star or check mark when you complete that weekly celebration. You can also use your goals as a reason to celebrate. When you make strides or achieve a goal, a celebration may be in order.
Journals
Gratitude Journaling. As I stated earlier, celebrating during difficult times is really another way of being grateful, no matter the circumstances. One way to keep you in that frame of mind is by gratitude journaling. I have written numerous posts about gratitude and currently keep three lists a day- 5 general gratitudes in the morning, 5 general ones at night, and 5 specifically about relationships. I’ve written about my twice-a-day gratitude list routine in this post. They do a great job of lifting me out of negative thinking and keep me mindful of the good things that are happening every day.
Daily Journaling. Journaling in general is a great way to get to know yourself better. As you write, thoughts may emerge that you didn’t realize were there. When journaling, I recommend you think about what brings you joy now and what has brought you joy in the past. Are there new experiences that you might enjoy based on what you’ve done in the past? Are there things you miss doing because you’ve fallen out of the routine of doing them? You can explore these thoughts by writing paragraphs about your likes and preferences or by brainstorming them into a list. As you write these lists, they will become a great reference for inspiring your next celebration.
Keep a Celebration Journal. I have a journal I use just for planning out events that I mentioned in a prior post about entertaining ideas for my book club. In it, I include meal and beverage ideas, themes, and favors for parties. You can do this for any type of celebration- in person, virtual, or just for yourself. The beauty of this kind of journaling is that you get to use it to plan out your event, and afterwards it serves as a way to preserve your memories of the celebration.
A celebration does not need to be a gala, black-tie affair. In fact, it only needs to be a happy deviation in your routine for you to feel like you’re celebrating.
No matter what is going on in your life, see if you can make some time to stop and do something that brings you joy. Celebrating during difficult seasons can help get you through them.
Have you managed to celebrate during this time? Leave a comment and share your ideas!
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** Image of candlelit dining room table found on Pixabay; images of woman celebrating, crowd celebrating and confetti were found on Unsplash.
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