How to Prevent the Collector’s Mind

This time of year, it is easy for children and adults to get caught up in a certain way of thinking that seems harmful for the spirit as well as the purse. It is something that I call the collector’s mind when we see and notice very clearly what we don’t have in our lives. This may be increased by constantly shopping and being in the mindset that stuff has to be bought for friends and family.

This may catapult you into a world more material than you are used to during the rest of the year. I find being in the stores and in malls that I never frequent except during the winter holidays, makes me more of a materialist than a charitable giver. All of a sudden I am face to face with all the stuff I want for myself and my loved ones that I might not be able to afford.

I have found working with myself and my son during this time of the year to avoid the collector’s mind has made me less grumpy and more appreciative of the life I do have.

We make sure to cut down on TV, commercials, and catalogs during the winter season. Whether it was the J. crew catalogs or my son’s Lego catalogs, we found that it makes us want the newest fashion or Star War’s set. The less we looked at them, the less we were aware of that they were there. I also have to mention that I think TV commercials for children are insidious and dangerous.

We take time to make appreciation lists or rituals. We make a list at bedtime and sometimes in our journals to remind us of what we do have and may have overlooked.

We also clean our closets and try to give away clothes, books, and toys that are no longer played with. This helps us feel good and sometimes we find stuff that we have forgotten about. It is like discovering a gift for ourselves.

We try to find one charity organization to help out in together. It can be working in a soup kitchen, wrapping presents as a fundraiser, or collecting toys for children. But it gives my son a bigger picture of what the holidays mean. We can teach our children that it is a time to give what we can to people who do not have a lot.

We also try to give gifts of action not just presents to unwrap. This can be a promise to go ice-skating together or go to the indoor skate park. Doing things together can bring the holiday frazzles down and allow time and space for bonding.

Happy holidays everyone and may you be grateful for the life you have.