The Holidays. Family gatherings. Gift giving. Travel.
Perhaps just reading these words stresses you out a little. If I added “The Mall” to the list, I’m betting “a little” might be replaced by “a lot”! Regardless of what this season means to you, whether you are looking forward to it or pulling up the cushions for coin so you can get-away to Bali, chances are you’ll experience some level of stress. (Stats source)
So we have a baseline for this conversation: we can’t avoid stress. It comes with the territory called being human. Stress can be a constructive response to life’s obstacles. But stress is meant to be short-lived. It’s meant to be followed immediately by a period of relaxation and recovery. It’s when the stressful state is prolonged, when we bottle up and hold onto tense energy, that stress becomes draining and destructive.
If we can’t avoid it, what is the point of even talking about it? The point is to be self-aware and able to self-correct our own reactions and behavior so we don’t wind up as extras in our own version of “The Walking Dead.” (I’ve been wondering why people watch that show. Maybe they watch it to say, see, “I’m not that bad, so back off!”)
| A holiday stress-buster, Julia Goralka‘s personalized version of the Serenity Prayer:
God, grant me the serenity to accept the relatives I cannot change, the courage to face the stores tomorrow for everything I forgot today, and the wisdom to remember that this will all be over with soon. Amen. |
10 Stress Reducers
1. Get enough sleep. Being rested will serve you much more than having everything perfectly done.
2. Exercise. Go outside if you can and take a walk. We all open up when we’re walking, so if you want to have a heart-to-heart with someone, try doing it on the move. (PS: Wait until after the holiday to begin your IronWoman/Man training.)
3. Laugh. Play games for fun like Pictionary or Catch Phrase (Monopoly is too competitive and money tends to freak us out.)
4. Don’t over eat. It’s tempting, and we don’t feel good whenever we overdo. Too much sugar stresses our bodies.
5. Don’t over drink. It’s tempting, and we can say things we don’t mean when we’re sloshed. Too much alcohol physically stresses our bodies.
6. Don’t push other people’s buttons. Just because you can get someone’s goat, don’t. Making them react or lose it says more about you than them.
7. Do apologize. If you misstep, apologize immediately. If if you think they didn’t notice, that you did what’s important.
8. Make specific requests for support. Don’t hint. I know you wish they would just do it without you asking them. Get over that. Let people know you need them to pitch in. Let them know you count on them. Appreciate them for doing so.
9. Be sensitive, not sucked in. One person’s holiday joy is another’s holiday headache. This season can be a time of joy, delight, appreciation and love. It can also be a time of sadness, disappointment and resentment. Let people have their own experience, don’t try and make them do the holidays like you do. Listen, be compassionate, and let them be. You do not need to fix them. You can ask that they self-manage and be responsible for how they are showing up and interacting with others.
10. Watch my (FREE) video: Click here, click “Get Video Now”, enter code: NOBURNOUT. You’ll learn 4 steps that will help you reduce the flames and the big “WHY”. (Yes, it’s really FREE! Spread the word, share the love!)
Regardless of where your head and heart are at about the holidays, whether you are alone during this season or with others, with a family of origin or a family of choice, I invite you to make this is a season in which you and I expand our capacity to be kind, awake and whole human beings. That’s a season worth greeting.
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