Pre-holiday stress • The holiday experiences will affect our minds for many years to come • For better or worse? It's in our hands

The "pre-holiday" period can have a negative effect on your brain. so what are we doing?

Passover is here. Holidays in general play an important role in building family and community ties. For us, the Independence Day symbolizes tradition and family, a sense of belonging, joy, holiday songs, good (or not so good) food, a meeting with relatives we haven't seen for a long time and meetings with friends.

The family holidays are full of experiences and good moments, some of them are very significant for us. However, not only the pleasant moments will be remembered during life, but also those that are less good, may be etched in our minds for a long time. The way the mind perpetuates this is by giving meaning and uniqueness to those holiday events.

not "what" but "how"

Memories are strengthened not because of "what" we experience but through "how" we experience them.
God-"how" We experience the running around and chores before the holiday, can lead to a structural and functional change of the brain, which may accompany us for many years, for better or for worse. What is meant by? Whether you love or hate the holiday season, the mind will be changed in one way or another by the events and experiences.
The studies show that stress and distress in stressful situations have a negative effect on short-term memory and may even create unpleasant memories that will be regretted in the long term. These memories may resurface whenever they are talked about, thought about, or re-experienced.

stress and anxiety

This "pre-holiday" can be stressful to the point of conflicts between family members and may even manifest in emotional distress and physical sensations. It can start as a response to the trite question: "Are you with us this year?", through a rush of shopping to anxiety about people we are going to meet at the holiday table, or a feeling of discomfort from being subject to criticism by some of the participants in the holiday events.
Worse, your children may interpret your feelings as something negative.

So how will we pass Pesach with a positive holiday memory?

It is important that you memorize the following sentence: You decide "How" your brain will interpret and react to events before and during the holiday.

Any negative feeling you feel can be engraved in your mind for many years and even surface whenever a stimulus appears that rekindles the unpleasant past experience.

On one of the last Fridays, I heard Moshe Shalonsky in Gali Tshal say: "The holiday season was never a defining event for me, but this year I feel differently" and this is a change of mind as a result of a personal experience he is going through.

'Slide' and leave the review

Finally, flow, slide, don't complain and don't be too critical, try to keep only the positive experiences in your heart. This way you will ensure that the holiday season will be for you and for your children an event that you long for its arrival.