So here we are at the annual “holiday season.” Whatever we celebrate given our particular cultural traditions, this time of year really throws our society into a frenzy (here in North America, that is). My coaching clients are working on various strategies to keep their cool this yule! So why does this season get everyone in a wad anyway? Here’s my take.
This is a very regressive time of year. By this I mean that this season is most important to that Inner Kid part of us. The sights, smells and sounds of the season bring back memories when we experienced this time of year as magical. The seasonal classic “Miracle On 34th Street” tells it best and truly touches most of us each time we see it. It seems that at this time of year people are striving to experience some of this magic. This gets a bit frenetic and complex when grown-ups are involved. There is the retail frenzy of gift-giving and receiving. The guilt-ridden dramas of holiday family visits and travel. The striving for love and approval that parents can inflict on their kids in the tensions about getting them everything they asked for. Then there are the attempts to numb out or relax in all this holiday hustle. This usually leads right to the spiked egg nog and apple cider! Over drinking alcohol and over eating sweets, lack of sleep, excess tension…..gads, is it any wonder that people aren’t sure if they’re excited about the holidays or wishing for them to be over!
What’s a person to do? Here’s my formula — focus on parenting yourself this year! It goes like this: 1.) Check in with your Inner Kids. What did you love best about the holidays as a kid? Make sure that those elements are part of your holiday season — really. 2.) Check in with how you are feeling. Tired, frazzled, confused, ungrounded? Take special care to get rest, eat well & often, find your balance & get centered (yoga, stretching, meditation, walks, deep, slow breaths). 3.) Learn to say “no”. Remember that “yes” means nothing if “no” isn’t an option. Choose your priorities and schedule your holiday sensibly. And 4.) Decide to make this a mindful holiday, filled with what really matters, and expressing what it’s all really about, love & light.
Have a beautiful holiday filled with merriment and magic! And do share with me your tips for having a cool yule!
Join us on New Year’s Day for Yoga Flow and also on Sunday, 1/13 for our Special Topic Seminar “Enpowering Intentions & Affirmations for the New Year!” We will show Louise Hay’s brand new movie, “You Can Heal Your Life” — don’t miss these! (Call 299-6636 to register)
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