Showing Up This Holiday Season

The holiday season can be such wonderful time of year for most people. For some, it can be a down time full of chaos, guilt sadness and overwhelming stress. In today’s show I talk briefly some ways we can show up- in joy- and enjoy this holiday season.

Things we can do solo to show up:

Let any sadness in and then give it permission to leave.
Pray, meditate & journal about the feelings. Then, forcibly find one bright spot about the feelings. There is always one. Even if it is to allow contrast.
Release expectations. There is so much influence about the holidays on TV, in magazines, and at your neighbor’s house, it is just too easy to lose your way. Forget what everyone else is doing for the holidays and consider what you and your family want to do. There is no law that everyone has to celebrate a Martha Stewart Christmas. Keep your expectations in check and make the best of what you have within your family.
Take a nap. And don’t allow guilt to creep in.
Cry it out. It’s cleansing, it brings a sense of relief, and it releases stress hormones that can cause serious damage to brain cells.
Think about your favorite things.
Practice yoga or do any kind of exercise. A walk outside is really beneficial here.
Watch funny movies.
Do some gardening. Indoor or outdoor. Put your hands in the dirt.
Write a song, poem or short story.
Read a good book.
Plan a vacay or day out.
Get a massage/mani/pedi.
Implement one new healthy habit.
Sign up for a new class, online or in person. Pottery? Photography? Learn a new language? Creative writing?
Purge your closets and donate stuff.

Things we can do in the world:

Take a social media fast and instead, connect only in real time and in person.
Sip tea, coffee, or wine with someone..
Break out a cookbook, invite a friend or two over, and make a meal from recipes you’ve never tried before.
Recall a fond memory about someone and contact that person and let that person know you remembered him/her.
Write some thank you notes. Real ones.
Visit some blogs and leave a comment.
Perform an anonymous act of kindness.
Do something silly and let go of self-conscious feelings.
Do something you wouldn’t normally do.
Laugh it up at an improv/comedy show.
Volunteer at a shelter, senior home, abuse center, food bank.
Offer to run an errand for a busy mum.
Check out donorschoose.org