BREATHE – Take a BREATH BREAK at the
very
first sign of tension rising. Pause, inhaled deeply, and
let the out breath just fall out – even with a
loud “Haaaaaaaaaa” if it’s not too embarrassing.
SAY NO – You can’t hope to do all of the
things
and attend all of the events that most of us find
coming up in our lives during the holidays. Prepare
your polite refusal speech ahead of time and just
say “no thanks."
TAKE TIME FOR YOU –Even if its just a daily
10
minute walk, a soak in hot bath, a short yoga
routine, or even a 10 minute meditation sitting in
your favorite chair. You’ll find it amazing how much
more you can handle and how quickly you will
recover from any stress if you take this time for
yourself. Make it a daily habit.
LET IT BE – Play the Beatles song of the
same
name if you have it and then practice it, particularly
around potential conflict areas. When conflict arises,
take a deep breath and ask yourself if you can
just ‘let it be” and not engage.
HAVE FUN – Do whatever you need to do to
make
your holiday time fun for yourself. Ask yourself “What
do I need to include in my holiday plans to make sure
I have fun?” After all, holidays were meant to be fun
times not just times of chores and drudgery. If you
find yourself not having any fun take a time out and
figure out what needs to change to make it fun.
By Michael Lee, MA, Author of Turn
Stress into Bliss: The Proven 8 week program for
Health, Relaxation, and Wellbeing,
Founder of
Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy.
