The Cure for Holiday Blues

Arthur Brooks points out that feeling bad around the holidays (and it often drags on into the new year) isn’t surprising.  “Our brains are well equipped to sabotage our enjoyment of the present holidays, not because the events are necessarily bad, but because reality tends to pale in comparison with our carefully curated memories and aspirations.”  The key, Brooks says, is how you look at the present, not in comparing it to the past or an idealized future.  “[W]ith a little practice, you can see through those distortions and find the real goodness of this holiday, no matter if it’s just like the ones you used to know.”

Read More: Arthur Brooks