STRESS FREE HOLIDAYS©

The Holidays are a time for joy, giving and receiving love, and family traditions. Yet many people experience the Holidays as stressful and exhausting, and have gotten further and further away from the true spiritual meaning of the season.  Many overextend themselves, spend money they don’t have, make too many commitments, and have expectations that are too high.  Commercialism can set us up for high expectations that are not easy to meet.

Some lack a healthy rhythm to their life, eat high-stress foods, and make inappropriate food choices for the colder, darker season.

Clients often ask for suggestions on maintaining balance and good health during the season.  I would say that putting your happiness and well-being first and foremost is essential.  Base every action you take on self-love and practice exceptional self-care. What are you committing to and tolerating that you don't want to be doing? Learn to let  go of these things.  The better you feel the greater your positive impact on those around you. Your loved ones do not want you to be tired, sick, or stressed during the Holidays. 

A lot of people do find themselves sick and exhausted during the Holidays.  In part this comes from lack of a healthy rhythm to one's life, lack of sleep, eating high-stress foods, and making inappropriate food choices for the colder, darker season.  Now is NOT the time to abandon your exercise routine or to eat poor quality food. 

How to Experience Joyful, Peaceful Holidays

Start by setting your intention for the Holidays.  Decide what your experience will be.  Set your priorities, create a plan and work it.  Experiencing Holidays that are filled with peace, love, and joy begin with you.   The better you feel, the more joyful your Holidays will be.  Make new rules and set new traditions if the old ones leave you exhausted and stressed.  Your choices and experiences will always reflect your mental and emotional state.  By setting the mental tone first, it will be easier to make choices that will create a happier, healthier Holiday.

Simplify and organize by creating a weekly schedule to include exercise, meal planning, shopping, cooking, relaxation, and self-nurturing.  Keep an appointment calendar to manage your time.  Healthy diet and exercise increase vitality and improve mental state, and are not optional.  Exercising regularly will help your body deal with stress, elevate your mood, and keep you fit.

Make a list of those you want to give gifts to and how much you want to spend.  Create your own gift certificates for something you are talented at—something that can be honored after the rush of the season.   

Say NO more often.  It’s impossible to attend every party and give gifts to everyone you love.  Plan a get-together with friends for January when the busyness of the Holidays has quieted down. 

Identify time wasters and let them go.  Eliminate non-essentials like watching television which means you will have more time for yourself.

Take a day off during the middle of the week to shop when there are fewer crowds or shop online and by catalog. Call your favorite store and ask for gift suggestions.  Do as much as you can at one store.

MEDITATE for 5 minutes 2-3x a day.  Focus on long, slow, deep breathing. Close your eyes and visualize yourself smiling, radiant, energized.  Hold the vision for 30 seconds.  Ask your “Inner Wisdom” to give you all the energy, time, abundance, health, and love that you need. Sit quietly focusing on your breath. When thoughts arise, bring your attention back to your breath.  This is a very effective practice for remaining peaceful and healthy.  Do not underestimate its impact.

Nurture Yourself

To remedy stress and fatigue, get a massage, spend an hour at the gym, take a steam or sauna; go to a yoga class, or take a short, brisk walk.  Listen to a guided relaxation tape; take quiet, reflective time to journal your thoughts and feelings.  Eat a healthy, simple, whole foods meal. Listen to music that relaxes and rejuvenates you.  Do whatever you need to do to get your mental energy up.  This will lead to more physical vitality. Set a positive mental tone by refusing to complain, listen to or talk about anything negative.  What you put your attention on expands.  Keep bringing your mind back to the peaceful, joyful, abundant Holiday Season that you intend to experience.

During the Holidays do you give yourself permission to eat a lot of foods you would not ordinarily consume?  You may know that certain foods cause fatigue, irritability, moodiness, and even make you sick. And yet, because it's the Holidays, you abandon your healthy eating habits to indulge and feel lousy.  Does this make sense? 

Do parties cause you to eat discomfort foods?  Change your focus and use parties as an opportunity to connect and catch up with old friends and make new ones.  De-emphasize the food aspect. 

Stress, fatigue and over committing can cause you to reach for foods that will calm or dull your emotions and give you energy.  Unfortunately, a lot of people reach for simple sugars, alcohol, or rich, fatty foods which may give very temporary relief.  Ultimately, these foods and substances will cause more fatigue, anxiety, and other negative emotional states.

Eat slowly and savor the tastes and textures and you will be satisfied with small amounts.  If you chew your food until liquid and avoid eating a minimum of 2 hours before bed, you will feel better no matter what you eat.  If you have overindulged, eat simply the next day, eating only vegetables, broth, simple soups, and herbal teas.  Add whole grains like brown rice, barley, quinoa and millet too.

Put your focus on what you want—vitality, wellness, joy and peace.  Keeping your attention on these qualities will lead to better choices.  Whatever you decide to eat, enjoy it and let go of guilt.  Guilt always causes a new problem.  Food is not a moral issue. It helps to remember why you eat.  Food is the most fundamental way that you nourish yourself and provides energy,  mental clarity and focus, healthy, balanced emotions and a joyful spirit.  The more you love and respect yourself, the easier it will be to eat well and enjoy the season with vitality and wellness. 

This is not only a time of celebration, but also a time for completions, endings, and letting go of things that are not supporting your highest good.  Setting a positive mental tone and focusing on well-being during the Holidays will lead to ease in keeping New Year’s commitments, and carrying over to the New Year all the peace, joy, and well-being of the Holiday Season.

 ©Deborah Barr, 2001-06.  All rights reserved.

Deborah is a sought after speaker and writer sharing her Holistic message to audiences of regional, national, and international scope.  She can be reached by calling 412.421.7760, e-mailing deborah@wholehealthresources.com, or visiting www.wholehealthresources.com.