3 Simple Practices To Help You Through The Holiday Stress

The holidays are always an interesting time of year. We are busy with family events, holiday parties, shopping, and still working like crazy to meet end of the year deadlines. 

Unfortunately, it tends to be the time of year that we also feel run down, get sick, and sometimes more depressed. The sun goes down earlier and we are eating more sweets than usual, which creates a negative balance of hormones released in the body.

On top of that, you might be stressed about visiting family for the holiday and seeing people that you still hold some past resentment towards.

Or maybe you’re reflecting on all the things that could have gone better this year, the things you wish you did but didn’t, or are hard on yourself for not meeting all your 2018 goals.

Take a moment to notice what might be coming up for you. What “not so great” emotions or thoughts are coming up for you?

If you’re on top of the world and completely happy, that’s great! You’ll still get a lot out of this email to help you empathize with your loved ones and be there for them in a supportive and compassionate way.

There are three simple things you can do to shift yourself into a positive space mentally and emotionally over the next few weeks, so that you can finish your year with more grace and compassion.

1) Choose Love

It may sound simple, but choosing to approach everything in your life from a space of love will completely shift your thoughts, emotions, and the reactions you draw in from others. When you approach others with love and kindness, they respond with love and kindness. It opens you up to creating deeper connections between you and others, while healing old wounds.

Love opens your heart and allows for the best possible outcome in all situations. Choosing love means being patient and understanding, not only with other but also with yourself too. Being patient can create an instant feeling of relief. Life is not about rushing and resisting what is. Life is about going with the flow.

As you consciously master the feeling of love, others will feel your love intuitively and be inspired to also embody the feeling of love, which multiplies that energy exponentially.

2) Let go of Judgment

Whether you are judging yourself for not being where you would like to be in your life right now or you are judging others for the things they have done in the past or not meeting your expectations, it’s time to let it go. Choose to have compassion for where others are on their life journey. Choose to accept everyone and everything exactly as it is without trying to change it.

People unconsciously respond to what they feel. So when you approach others with judgment, they will respond with a guarded attitude. When you approach others with acceptance and understanding, they will respond with loving, open arms. 

Judgment creates separation and a negative energy within you that does not serve you. See the other person as if they have no past and you are seeing them for the first time. Approach them with love, patience, kindness, and empathy. Choose to be understanding with where they may be coming from, even if you don’t actually understand it.

When you let go of all the old stuff, it allows you to heal. This includes you letting go your judgments towards yourself and being patient, kind, and loving to where you are right now.

3) Protect Yourself (White Light Bubble)

While you are practicing coming from a space of love and non-judgment, know that others may not be in that same space as you. People around you may be struggling with their own negative thought patterns, disappointments, or depression. Never take things personally, even though their words may seem directed at you.

Often people who are feeling wounded on some level, direct that pain outward. A happy, loving person can only act in a loving and compassionate way. The people who snap at others, respond with a negative attitude, or say hurtful words, do so because they are dealing with their own pain. People who are in pain don’t know how to be loving in that moment.

So don’t take things personally, even if it seems to be directed at you. It may not be a reflection of something you have done, and even if it is, the response is coming from their pain. Remember, you always have a choice on how you choose to respond to it.

A simple practice you can implement to help protect yourself is seeing yourself sitting inside a white bubble of light. This light is pure, positive, loving energy. When someone says something to you that is hurtful or snaps at you with an attitude, visualize their negative energy or words bouncing off this white light energy bubble. Their negativity cannot reach you, because you are protected and know not to take it personally.

You can then look at the situation clearly without letting it get to you and bringing you down. Take a step back, and choose to look at the situation from multiple perspectives. If you can separate your emotions from the situation, you will be able to process it quicker and more rationally.

Choose to be a light that is so bright, nothing and no one can bring you down. Your light is so bright, that you lift others up with you in a space of love and connection.

I hope this gave you some great tools to get through this holiday season with more love, grace, and compassion. 

Stay tuned for more inspiration and insight.

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