ONE - WRITE IN A JOURNAL
Grab your journal, find a quiet spot, and take a deep breath. Journaling helps you get organized and remember what the holidays are really about.
Start by writing down everything that needs to be taken care of. Determine which items can be delegated or you can let go of doing altogether. Even if you’re the one handling everything, it helps to write it all down to make you feel less overwhelmed.
Write a paragraph on what state of mind you’ll be in while doing all of these things on your list. Will you be joyful, stressed, grateful, or overwhelmed? Asking yourself these questions is important if you want the holidays to be something you actually enjoy.
Then write down HOW you would like certain aspects of the holidays to go. While cooking, are you going to feel angry that you have to cook a big meal, or excited about making a new dish for your family? While shopping, will you feel obligated and resentful that you have to buy for so many people, or grateful that you have the means to buy presents to begin with?
Last, make two columns. One column will have the names of the people you are buying gifts for. The second column will have what you are grateful for about this person; how they contribute positively to your life. Then take this list with you shopping so that the present you purchase is an expression of your appreciation for them.
TWO - KEEP THINGS IN PERSPECTIVE.
The Holiday season means something different to everybody. Take a minute or two out of each day to reflect on what the holidays mean to you. This will help you keep you centered and your priorities straight: your health, family, and happiness.
THREE - CONSIDER THE PAST.
Another topic to write in your journal: what are the memories that get stirred up during the holidays at your house? Which memories create a fear-based emotion or the “here we go again” feeling? Write them all down and be very real.
After you’ve done that, write whether those things really matter in the grand scheme of things. Then consider whether you should communicate with someone so that this pattern doesn't happen again, or if you should just let it go. Either way, make that change internally to change that pattern.
Also make sure to write down the enjoyable holiday memories as well and prioritize doing those activities again this holiday season.
FOUR - LEARN TO SAY “NO”.
Important to remember: if you’ve always had great stress through the holidays but have never done anything about it (like the universe will change it for you), then nothing will ever change because at the end of the day, nothing and no one makes you feel in any way other than how you choose to feel.
Because the holidays bring many challenges, there are so many opportunities to take control of your life and to empower yourself! For example, if you’ve always been the one to cook the turkey year after year but have always dread the task, this is your opportunity to finally say “no”. If spending quality time with your husband and kids during the holidays is important to you, then shop early opposed to last minute, choose the events you want to attend, and say no to the rest!
FIVE - MAKE IT A HOLIDAY FOR YOU
It’s important to prioritize what is most important to YOU during the holiday season. You need to be real and honest about the things you never actually enjoyed but did anyways, over and over again.
BOTTOM LINE
What if this holiday was exactly what you wanted it to be? What would that look like? What if you had the courage to sit down with your family and discuss what you wanted to do and what you didn’t want to do this year? Wouldn’t it be nice?
Doing these 5 steps are ultimately actions of love for yourself and the people who are important to you. Make this a year a true celebration!
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