Holiday Survival Kit - 10 Easy Ways to Increase Your Comfort & Joy

There is nothing fun about a Grinch during the holidays. In the middle of all the tasks that must be done, no one can’t blame you for losing your cool now and then. That is why I put together this list of 10 sure-fire mood changers that your family will appreciate. Distracting yourself, even for 10 minutes can rescue the entire day.

Below you will find 10 suggestions you can use right now to fight the stress that's threatening your holiday fun.

There are five ideas for when you have the luxury of a lot of time and five for when your schedule is full and squeezing in a moment of relief feels impossible.

If you have 30 minutes or more:

1.      Color with your left hand! Shameless endorsement here: You’ve Got This Superwoman, an empowering coloring book journal is just right for this. Pick a white page, grab your favorite coloring tools and go to town using only your left hand. Go a little crazy! If you go outside the lines, so what? Work it! Let the stress flow away as the colors appear!

2.      Take an Epsom salt bath. Use two full cups of salt (lavender scented if you can find it, or you can add your own Lavender Essential Oil) Epsom salt is inexpensive and you can find it at just about anywhere...it’s often in with the medical supplies. It’s a great way to de-stress because it literally pulls the stress out of you by detoxifying your tissues. If you’ve been super stressed and anxious, put your head under...let it work it’s magic on your brain. To enhance this whole experience, I recommend candles and calming music and a bath of at least 30 minutes or more.

When you drain the bath water, make a clear intention to LET GO of whatever is ready to go. Allow the Universe to bring thoughts and people to your mind and feel their energy go down the drain with the water. Then take a cool refreshing shower and rinse off all the residue, salt and energy.. Breathe deeply and own your new energy.

3.      Journal! Write, write and write some more! (If you have You’ve Got This, Superwoman, use it! If not, any notebook will do!) Don’t hold back, put it all out on paper... all the stresses, frustrations, misunderstandings, anxiety...whatever is on your mind, dump it all here. You’ll be amazed at how much better you’ll feel when it’s all over. If it’s something that you don’t need anymore... rip it out and rip it up or maybe even burn it!

4.      If you’re a Clubhouse member, you can listen to previous teleseminars which are each about 30 minutes long and filled with tips and tools to help you manage your life without biting someone’s head off.  Bonus points for stress control if you do this while taking a walk, exercising or coloring! Double bonus points if you’ve joined the Clubhouse, which is an automatic way to help de-stress.

5.      Let yourself go and enjoy a holiday movie... set some time aside and lose yourself in a good movie. I highly recommend the Hallmark channel movies. They show people dealing with challenging situations and stress with grace, ease and compassion. No one gets too angry and if they do, they take responsibility and apologize. It’s a great way to see what our own potential is in managing our emotions and also a fun escape for a couple of hours. 

If seeing holiday movies reminds you of sad  or stressful holidays in the past, pick a comedy - any comedy. Laughter is really the fastest way to shift your mood. Two of my favorite comedies are: Yes, Man! and Finding Nemo, how about you?

If you have 30 minutes or less:

1.      Color (with your dominant or non-dominant hand). You can work a lot of stress quickly by choosing the black background pages in You’ve Got This, Superwoman. It’s easy to color in less than 30 minutes..non-dominant hand is still recommended for fastest results!

2.      Start your day off in a good mood by setting your alarm clock to your favorite dance song... I love “Happy” by Pharell Williams or “We’re All in This Together” Sam Roberts Band....those two get me up and moving and it’s hard to focus on stress when you’re boogieing your way to the bathroom! lol Try it and let me know if you don’t find yourself smiling! If you have a song that makes you happy and gets you moving in the morning, please share it here in the comments.

3.      Breathe - you can try the 4-7-8 technique recommended by Dr. Andrew Weil. This is a great one to do if you have trouble falling asleep at night or anytime when things are feeling a bit out of control. It’s easy, quick and no one needs to know that you’re de-stressing.

4.      Use the Superwoman pose to increase confidence and decrease stress and anxiety. It only takes 2 minutes for your nervous system to shift and for you to feel better when you do this! It's super easy to do, just stand tall and put your hands on your hips for at least 2 minutes.

5.      Be your own cheerleader. Sure it is nice to have someone pat your back and tell you how awesome you are, but sometimes there is no one there to encourage you! Cheering yourself up is easier than you think. Put up sticky notes reminding yourself of just how awesome you are (or cut out pages from You’ve Got This, Superwoman and stick them up around the house).

Stop when you see a mirror and really look into your own eyes and tell yourself that you’ve got this, you’re wonderful and you love you! It only takes a second to acknowledge your beautiful self, so go for it the next time you see a mirror!

Remember, we are all in this together. Holidays are stressful across the board, especially this year. If you feel overwhelmed, I would love to chat.  Simply fill out the contact form below and I will be back with you to schedule a brief no cost phone call.
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