Amidst personal and collective pain, a lot of us can feel resistance to the pressure to keep up with the Christmas spirit. It is as if the light and joy bring us in sharp contrast with the darkness enshrouding our lives and the precarious times we live in.

We often hear how we need to build resilience in this time. There is immunity resilience. What about psychological resilience?

Apropos to our times, the persona is a kind of ‘mask’ we put on. The persona is the superficial posturing we put on that conceals our real Self. It is the PR part of our personality.

Our wounds, our sorrows, our nastiness, or dark side is all comprised in the shadow of our psyches. We may deliberately keep some of these parts well-hidden from society or family and friends.