The holiday season is meant to be one of the most joyful times of the year, yet the reality seems to be the opposite…busychristmas

….people often end up feeling stressed and overwhelmed. With lists a mile long and calendars stacked full of events, how does one stay centered and enjoy this time of year?

The key is to stop long enough to check in with yourself. Pay attention to the signs that your body is giving you….they are telling you to stop! Not to stop forever, but to stop long enough to come up with a new strategy.

Perhaps it’s your heart beating faster, your muscles tightening up…..maybe you have less patience with your kids or partner…..or with your co-workers. And if you’re the person in the parking lot at the mall, yelling and screaming because someone took your parking spot…..yes, that’s a sign as well 🙂

It’s important to remember that life is a gift and we don’t know how many tomorrow’s we have.

This is a beautiful time of year when we often see the people that matter most in our lives (if possible). We actually take the time out of our busy schedules to visit, laugh and share together, which is great!

But, are you even able to enjoy it? Are you excited as the event approaches? Do you enjoy yourself when it’s happening? And look back with fond memories? And, even if you do manage to enjoy it (which is great), are you stressed until the moment you arrive and stressed the second you leave?

Here is one thing I can guarantee you…

…..Next year things will be different. All of the children will be one year older (and so will we!), perhaps some people will no longer be with us….who knows how many changes may happen in this next year. This year is unique and beautiful exactly as it is and you want to be able to enjoy and cherish it even in the busy-ness!

Remember those signs we talked about? When you get that signal to stop, you have a choice. You can keep doing what you’re doing and guess what? You’ll keep feeling the way you’re feeling and Christmas will come and go and you will have raced your way through another year only to have “survived”.

Or, you can make the choice to do it differently this year. Make the conscious decision to have a joyful holiday season and cherish the beautiful moments while you have the incredible opportunity to do so.

Here’s how:

7 Step Strategy for a Joyful Holiday Season:joy

  1. Pay attention to the signal…..and STOP.
  2. Connect with your Vision of a “perfect holiday moment”. Imagine that moment in the future that is just magical to you……maybe you have your loved ones around you, maybe there’s music playing, maybe there’s laughter…..maybe it’s a cuddle with someone or you’re sitting around the table with many…..whatever it is for you, that when you think of it your heart is full of joy and love. This is what the holidays are about. Really connect to that vision…..and feel it in every cell of your body. This will change how you feel immediately.
  3. Connect with Who You Are (or want to be)…..are you a kind and loving person? A caring person? A happy person? Who are you? How would you like to be described by others? How do you want to be remembered? You’ll have a nice and simple answer to this question 🙂
  4. Ask yourself this question: Does my behaviour/actions (or how I’m feeling inside) match who I say I want to be in the world? If I continue feeling and acting this way, is it aligned with who I want to be?
  5. If the answer is yes, perfect! Keep going. (My guess is the answer is usually no if we are having to stop and run through this strategy!). And, if the answer is NO, what do you need to do in order for you to be the person you want to be and have the Christmas you want to have? How do you need to respond? What do you need to be thinking and saying to yourself in order to have that inner alignment?
  6. Go do and/or be that! Enjoy!
  7. The next time you get a sign……Do It Again!

lovepeacejoyIf you want to have a beautiful, joyful holiday season in amongst the busy-ness, then every time you notice yourself feeling anything other than joyful…..follow this strategy. It will change your experience!

And, we will be doing it along with you because we are all human. We have a lot on our plates. Most of us are busy, busy, and we have our moments when we need to draw on tools in order to live the life we want to live.

You get to choose whether you have a holiday season filled with joy or stress? What’s your choice?

Wishing you a very joyful December!