It’s about this time of year that a kind of unsettling low-grade panic can set in. As the days seem to speed up, we can easily begin to get unnecessarily stressed about a Holiday, which CAN be about the spirit of loving and giving.
Here are my 6 steps to make sure this Holiday season your happiest yet:
1. Make a gift list: If you haven’t already, actually make either a written list, or a list on your phone. Most of us walk around with mental lists of who we need to get gifts for, and this translates as stress. Once it’s down an a visual list that you can check off, you’ve already reduced 80% of the stress involved.
2.Meal plan: You are likely going to be cooking a bit more this month, and if like me, you have a family, a full time job etc, you need to stay ahead of the game. Try out Plan To Eat, which is so brilliant that it’s taken the headache out of not only meal-planning for me, but also making shopping lists – LOVE! You basically sign up for a free month’s trial, and then you get to import all your fave recipes from Sophie Uliano and other blogs, and it will move them into your weekly planner, PLUS automatically make a shopping list for you!
3. Meditate Daily: Even if you just sit down for 5 minutes a day, it will make a difference. I like to do it before my mind gets going first thing in the morning. Instead of clicking on my phone/computer, I sit down somewhere comfortable, allow my body to release, watch my breath, watch my thoughts, and then SET AN INTENTION: ‘Today I will come from Love instead of Fear”. I also love the Headspace meditation App, which is great for beginners.
4. Yogic Breathing: When caught in a long line at a store, or stuck in traffic, practice this really simple breathing technique
5. Soothing Bath: At the end of a long day of working and battling your way through crowded stores, run a hot bath and add 1 cup of Epsom Salt and 10 drops of Chamomile or Lavender Essential oil.
6. Prepare: If the Holidays are stressful for you because of difficult family dynamics, preparation is everything. If you KNOW that there are certain people who will press your buttons, EXPECT that they will. The biggest mistake that I see so many of my friends making is that they come away from family gatherings feeling hurt, ignored, undervalued, enraged, and misunderstood. They key is to expect nothing less and then you won’t be surprised. It’s always helpful to plan a get-out in case things get heated (go sit in your car or go to the nearest coffee shop), and always go in with the attitude of “How can I be of service?” – that one always works out well!
