The holidays can be so stressful. The expectations: decorate, make big meals, have family over, entertain, go to bed exhausted. Visit family. Buying presents for everyone… All the things. Then clean up! It’s so much.
The good news is that you aren’t totally powerless; you can do energy work and move in directions that help you enjoy the holidays and, more important, enjoy your experience of life. You can guide this ship. We can’t always avoid storms or rocks, but we can still do things, big and small, that help us on our journeys. So let’s do those things together. I’m listing out a few tips here, to help us navigate the holiday season, the dark days, and the course of our lives.
Choose Your Own North Star
This Christmas or Holiday Season, let’s make taking care of yourself a priority, too. You are your own North Star, and if you trust your own compass, your own “Yes,” then you can release some of the things that are holding you down, causing you stress, and disrupting your holiday season. I know that this can be hard… the idea definitely makes my heart flutter. It’s funny how choosing your North Star can be stressful until you do it.
What does this mean exactly? It means listening to your intuition. If something seems stressful to you, listen to that edge and look for alternatives. What would this mean for you? List out the things that you really don’t like about the holidays… the things that make you cringe. Then find alternatives and remove them from your list. If removing all of your stress points is too much, start small and consider this a multi-year journey. But move toward that star, my friend. Move towards your blissful, happy yes. For me, this was when I decided that we would no longer stay with my in-laws. I love my in-laws; they’re wonderful people. But we need our own down time, family time, and privacy. It took me years to realize that we don’t have to actually stay there when we visit. Your turn: what can you ease into and let go of?
Build in Self Care
And I’m talking about… privileged self care if you can. If doing your nails makes you feel good, then write it into your schedule and do it. If you think a yoga class during the holidays will help you, then go ahead (here’s a link to Lila Floyd’s winter program). What makes you feel beautiful, confident, strong? Make a list and put those things into your Season. Doing these things shifts your experience, which shifts your perspective and your happiness.
You can even do this in a super micro way. For example, I know that tough conversations with my husband are hard, so I’ve built in self care for just those moments. When we have hard talks, I have candies that I enjoy. They give me something delicious during a disagreeable time. Even the hardest, smallest experiences can be influenced for the better. Our goal here is to make your experience of life better in every way. So see what you can do here to bring in joy.
Prayer, Visualization, Altars
There’s a power in prayer, and there are two strong ways to pray. The first is simply connecting to a higher being and laying out your heart and asking for help. Do this every day, letting God and the universe know what you need. If you believe in saints, then ask for their help. I often ask God to bring the Archangel Micheal down to protect my family and I, along with the Virgin Mary. You can do the same. These beings are here to help you. Invite them in.
And… Visualize what you want to happen, and how you want to feel. If you want a calmer Christmas, then feel, in your body and energetic field, what that calmness and happiness would feel like. We’re tricking your brain by giving you the reward, feeling good, before you even receive whatever it is that would give it to you. Put yourself in that state. If you need to, just imagine God filling your body with love, joy, and happiness. You can visualize it as a golden light, if you like. Think, “I’m filling up with joy, love, amazingness, and awesomeness.” You might feel an immediate happiness flooding your body. What you’re doing here is shifting your energy, and changing it so that you attract it into your life and experience even more of it. This is POWERFUL WORK. Do it every day if you can. I do this during my morning meditations, when I remember.
Finally, it can help to create a little altar. If we’ve worked together, then you know that I create mini altars each month for my clients. After our session, I will write your name and add it to my altar, and I’ll give the altar good energy and prayer for wonderful life experiences for everyone in there. You can create an altar for the holiday season, adding items that represent what you want and what you need. Then, occasionally, look at your altar and fill it with love. Say your prayers or connect to the universe, and feel connected to a higher source. Do this a few times throughout the season. It helps.
Ultimately, a good way to help yourself get through this season, and any season of your life, is to plan your stepping stones through it. Look at it and see what scares you, and how you can make it better. Those are new stepping stones. Then add some in: those are the self care experiences. Those stones are beautiful. Then build some bridges to your spiritual world, creating the feeling of happiness and the knowledge that God is with you as you cross these cool, blue waters.
I’m wishing the best for you!
With so much love,
Paige