I thought it might be a good time for a "seventh inning stretch" in our series on Metabolic Power. Since Thanksgiving is right around the corner, let's look at some ideas for navigating this holiday season in a way that gets us into January feeling like we're ready to take on a new year rather than like we want to collapse on the couch in sheer exhaustion.
TIP #1 - GET CLEAR ABOUT WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO YOU
It's easy to get overrun by all the details that need to be handled in a quest to make the holidays into our own personal Hallmark moments. It's also easy to overwhelm ourselves with our own expectations of what the holidays "should" be like. I'm inviting you to step off that crazy train.
Take the time to examine what it is you love about this time of year. Get to the bottom of it. Do you love Grandma's homemade rolls? Go deeper. If it was really the rolls you loved, you could learn to make them and have them any time of year. Maybe what makes her rolls so delectable is the combination of the love she puts into them, sharing time with her and other loved ones as you eat them, and the weather outside making you feel extra cozy and warm as you're gathered inside. Rolls are simply rolls, no matter how delicious they taste.
I'd lay money on the fact that the holiday items/activities/foods which truly make our hearts sing have infinitely more to do with the people and the feelings associated with them than with anything else.
TIP #2 - KEEP YOUR FOCUS
Once we're clear on what's important, we need to keep our focus on that. In the moments when we feel the crazy start to kick in we can stop it by returning to what's important. When we hear another piece of pie calling to us and know we'll regret it if we indulge, when we're tempted to stay up way too late to finish addressing the Christmas cards, when we've spent all the money we've budgeted for gifts and then find another perfect gift for Aunt Susan, we can ask ourselves how what we're considering fits in with what we really want from the holidays.
If it supports our higher plan, we can choose it without guilt or regret. If it doesn't, we can opt out or find something else which would support our plan.
TIP #3 - IMPLEMENT PRACTICES THAT SUPPORT YOUR DESIRES
Now that we know what we want and are committed to keeping our focus on that, we'd be wise to set ourselves up for success by putting practices into place that make it easier to maintain our focus and commitment.
Here are just a couple of ideas:
BREATHE - When stress or temptation is creeping up on us (or mounting a full-on attack), STOP. With eyes open or closed, take 3-5 slow, deep breaths. While doing so, look ahead as far as necessary to remind ourselves this is only temporary. We can get through this; we've already done harder things than this in the past, and we have what it takes to deal with this moment gracefully. This type of breathing can help us slow down enough to find the joy again.
VISUALIZE - When we know we're going to face a challenging situation, we can take a few moments ahead of time to walk through that situation in our mind imagining ourselves making the good choices and handling it exactly as we want to handle it. No matter what the circumstance - making small talk with a relative who makes us nutty, facing down a plate of baked goods lovingly gifted to us, standing in a store contemplating buying a too extravagant gift, or any other stressful scene - seeing ourselves handling it successfully beforehand vastly improves our chances of a happy outcome.
Obviously, we're barely touching the tip of the iceberg on this topic, but hopefully these thoughts will start you thinking about what will work for you in maintaining your sanity and good cheer throughout this beautiful, busy, emotionally charged time of year.
The holidays are a wonderful time and can be filled with even more joy when we go into them mindfully and take the time to make conscious decisions about what and how much we eat and about how and where we'll spend our money and time.
Here's to an intensely satisfying and joyful holiday season!