The process of staying present on a daily basis is such a challenging one. Our mind, from the moment we wake up until we hit the pillow at night, is FULL of so many thoughts, emotions, plans and fears, that it is a wonder we ever accomplish anything at all! And even if we do accomplish things, there usually is a price to pay of stress, burnout, anxiety and exhaustion.
With the rush of the Holiday Season, and everything that surrounds it, we are even less prepared to slow down and enjoy the moment.
To
help with the everyday tendency to emotionally and mentally be ‘on the
go’ with a busy overthinking mind, I created a very simple, yet
powerful, guide to help you stay focused throughout the days ahead.
I will be sharing more posts in the months ahead and ways to stay present, but to help right now, click here to receive your free PDF and begin your journey to create a Daily Mindfulness Routine.
The
Christmas Season is a time for joy! Yet, this can be a most difficult
time of the year for many. Stress, pressure, loneliness, expectations,
depression, hurts and financial burdens rob many of the joy of the
season.
With
Christmas seeming to come earlier each year (ornaments on sale in
July!) and the mad rush of traffic and the scramble to buy the ‘perfect’
gifts, the “Happy Holidays” often turn out to be anything other than
joyful or happy!
It
has been said that “we are in danger of losing Christmas.” This is even
true for those who are faith-based who, in the rush of things, lose
that “glad feeling of happiness and delight” that should be at the
center of the holidays.
The
challenge is that in order to handle the unique pressure and stresses
that accompany this time of year, we need to maintain a ‘balanced life.”
Problems that occur in our desire to experience joy are when our “whole being” is out of balance.
Let’s take a quick look at some very practical steps that we can take towards putting the joy back into Christmas:
1) Prepare Your Physical Self for the Holidays
~ Eat wisely – importance of healthful, nourishing foods (although a very hard time to diet!)
~ Rest appropriately – set boundaries on shopping, visiting and decorating – give your body time to refresh itself!
~ Exercise – “not something you spend time doing, but rather something you invest time in”
~ Strive for ‘Stress-Free’ living
– Give yourself permission to slow down and enjoy yourself; practice
positive self-talk; avoid comparing yourself to others; see yourself as a
valuable child of God; give yourself permission to take risks
2. Evaluate Your Soul (Your emotional/relational self)
~ Evaluate your expectations and give them up to God
– “idealized holidays” can set us up for unfulfilled expectations
(false TV and social media images); continually check out your
expectations and let them go
~ Set priorities for the holidays – Ask yourself, “What is REALLY important?”; Learn to say “No”; Build your own holiday traditions (make then uniquely YOURS!)
~ Keep things in financial perspective
– Develop a reasonable spending plan and stick to it; Communicate
limitations to your children (align their expectations with reality);
avoid the ease of buying on credit (which discourages creativity and
planning and can lead to financial bondage)
~ Decide to resolve hurtful feelings
– examine and resolve any lack of forgiveness towards others; forgive
yourself (let go of unresolved guilt & shame); recognize and work on
pain from the past (hurts and losses)
~ Experience the childlike joy of Christmas
– be yourself; be spontaneous; rid yourself of perfectionism; develop
the eyes, ears and mouth of a child – look at Christmas differently …
listen with new ears … be silly … have fun!
3. Focus on the Miracle of Christmas
~ Don’t neglect your spiritual needs;
plan to make the holidays a time of spiritual and emotional growth;
real joy, especially as a faith-based person, comes from the realization
of what Christmas is really all about and from knowing the one whose
birth we celebrate, as Paul in scripture wrote so many years ago,
“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”
During this Holiday season I encourage you to:
~ Prepare yourself physically
~Evaluate the expectations you have for the Season
~Set realistic priorities
~ Evaluate your emotional and relational life
~ Set your inner child free to fully enjoy the season!
