I know the holiday season tends to be a very stressful time of year for many people.
However, it’s also a very beautiful (and magical) time of year and with a few simple tweaks we can experience all of the magic this season has to offer.
In this post, I am going to give you some great tips to help you avoid stress during the holidays… 7 gifts you can give yourself this holiday season.
How to Avoid Stress During the Holidays
(7 Awesome Gifts You Can Give Yourself This Holiday Season)
1) Focus on Gratitude
Gratitude is such an important practice, no matter what time of year it is. Focusing on gratitude is a powerful way to shift any situation from negative to positive, from stressful to peaceful, from bad to good.
No matter what is happening in our life or in our day, we always have the ability to practice gratitude in any given moment.
If something is ‘not going your way’ or you find yourself in a less-than-desirable situation, think about something about that situation that you can be grateful for.
For example, if you are standing in a long line at a department store during the holiday hustle and bustle and you are feeling frustrated, be grateful that you have the means to shop at all this season (there are so many less fortunate than you, and standing in line at a department store is certainly a first world problem).
If you are having a holiday dinner with your family and one of your family members is annoying you, be grateful that you have family members to spend the holidays with (many people do not).
If your car breaks down, be grateful that you have a car in the first place (there are many people that do not have this luxury).
No matter what the situation is, there’s always a way to shift to a place of gratitude. And staying in gratitude is your access to joy, and it’s a practice that will certainly help you avoid stress during the holidays.
2) Love With All of Your Heart
Love is always the answer. Love heals everything. Love is all that matters.
So, allow yourself to love (people, places, things) with all of your heart.
Allow yourself to be moved to tears by a beautiful sunset or a choir singing Christmas carols.
Allow yourself to overflow with love for your friends and family.
Allow yourself to be present to the love flowing out of every Christmas card you receive.
Allow yourself to let your loved ones know how much you love and appreciate them.
Don’t hold back this holiday season. Love with all of your heart.
3) Exercise
When we get caught up in all of the chaos of the holidays, often time exercise is the first thing that gets taken off of our ever-growing to-do list.
Don’t let this happen.
Taking time to exercise is one of the best things you can possibly do to nurture yourself during this busy season, and to help to relieve stress.
Not only that, but its’ a great way to avoid putting on extra pounds from all of the yummy holiday food that you find yourself surrounded by at this time of year.
Even if you have to get up 10 or 20 minutes earlier in the morning for the next few weeks to fit it in, it’s important to move your body every day, and if you can work up a sweat, that’s even better. 🙂
4) Don’t Get ‘Wrapped Up’ in the Material
It’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle and get completely overwhelmed with the material aspect of the holidays: the shopping, the rushing around, the gift lists, etc.
Don’t let yourself get consumed with the ‘consumerism’. This is NOT what the holidays are really about.
5) Meditate
Taking a few minutes first thing in the morning for silence is a great way to get grounded and centered and help you to remain peaceful in the face of anything that comes up in your day.
Many people feel like,
“I don’t have time for meditation.”
But, I promise you, this doesn’t have to take much time at all, and making the time for it will help you to be much more productive in your day, so you will make up for the time it takes to be still in the end.
6) Get Clear on Your Vision
With the end of the year approaching, now is a great time to think about your vision for the upcoming year. What do you want to create? What do you want to change or do differently? Who do you want to spend more (or less) time with? What do you see unfolding for yourself in the new year?
Think about your deepest desires and get clear about some baby steps that you can start taking now to make them a reality in the new year.
I always like to think about this time of year as sort of a ‘cleansing’… a time to reevaluate the year, look at what worked, what didn’t work , and what I can improve upon in the coming year. It’s a wonderful time of introspection and a taking the time for this is a gift that you can give yourself every day during the holiday season.
7) Celebrate the Magic
I know for me, the holidays often seems like such a busy time, with all of then hustle and bustle, that it sometimes feels like I have no time for what really matters.
There’s something really magical about this time of year. Regardless of your situation, you can celebrate the magic of the season simply by allowing yourself to be exposed to it and absorb it. It doesn’t have to take any additional time out of your day to experience the wonder and magic of this season.
And, it’s also good to schedule some time in your day to celebrate as well.
If you get invite to a party or a gathering of friends, GO.
If there’s a parade you can watch, DO IT.
Is there a beautiful choir singing somewhere that you can go listen to? A Christmas service at your church you can attend? A Santa you can take your children to visit?
Making time for all of the magical experiences that happen at this time of year is a great way to stay in gratitude and avoid getting sucked up in the materialism of the season.
That’s it… those are my 7 tips to help you avoid stress during the holidays.
I hope this has been helpful and that you will give yourself these gifts during this busy holiday season to help you avoid stress and celebrate the magic!
Do you know someone who could benefit from these tips? if so, share this post… they will thank you for it. 🙂
Have questions or comments? Please leave them in the comments below.
I always love hearing from you.
Talk to you soon…
With love,
