"Christmas Decorations"

Apparently it's Christmas season and apparently that means my house must change and new decorations come out. Including a tree. Yes, you heard me right. My parents put a TREE INSIDE the HOUSE. Does that make sense to you? It sure doesn't to me. I mean, trees belong outside. Trees are the things I run around while chasing my brother. They do not belong in a living room with lights and ornaments on them. Very strange.

To top it off, mom has "decorations" that inflate and make noise. What kind of being finds joy from noisy room disruptors? It is truly a mystery. Want to know how I view them? My enemies. Yesterday while my parents were "decorating" for Christmas, I followed mom around at her heels because I was so discombobulated with the new decorations. I was so nervous at one point I walked by a space heater, got scared of the hot air coming from it, jumped, then got scared of the noise my paws made when they came back on the ground, so froze in panic, then ran upstairs to hide. I think it's rude my parents laughed. Granted, mom came and checked on me but still... rude.

This morning I'm feeling a little bit better. It snowed A LOT (13 inches) last night, so I've been able to play and be silly outside. It's helped blow off some steam from the decorations situation.

Here's the thing. My mom could recognize decorations freak me out and avoid putting them up. However, that wouldn't make me better. It would just allow my anxiety to get worse and rule our lives. As discussed in previous posts, the more I avoid something the more anxious it makes me. The more I push into my anxiety in small steps, the anxiety starts to calm down.

Change can be stressful. Holidays can be stressful. Challenge the anxiety in your brain and push yourself to fully participate.

If you get overwhelmed, try this skill called four square breathing:

Imagine a square. Breathe in and count 1...2...3...4. Hold for 1....2....3....4. Breathe Out....1....2...3...4. Hold for 1...2...3...4. Repeat until you feel your breathing get under control . Remember if you can learn to control your breathing, you can start to control your anxiety.

In the mean time, please enjoy this adorable picture of me and my brother checking out the snow!