Written by: Verronica Mitchell, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
The holiday season is truly the most wonderful time of the year with many festive gatherings and events. It is such a joyous and beautiful time to enjoy and celebrate with family, friends, and colleagues. During this festive time, holiday stress can creep up with so many things to do and events to attend. So, to help you manage stress, I am sharing 7 tips to manage your holiday stress so that you can truly enjoy this time of the year without feeling burnout. You will be able to look up and say to yourself that you enjoyed the holiday season versus saying that you are glad it is over.
Breathe
Breathe your holiday stress away. Pause and simply allow yourself to have a moment to just be and breathe. Relax your shoulders and take 3 deep breaths in and out. When you do this, you are allowing your body to release the built-up tension. When the tension continues to build, that is what creates stress in your body. So just allow your body to release, so that you will have the energy to press on with all the amazing things on your holiday list.
Walk away
Give yourself permission to walk away from tasks, people and anything that is not working. If you have a holiday task that is not cooperating, just walk away from the stress of it and remind yourself it does not have to be perfect. If you are attending a holiday gathering with family, friends or colleagues and there is an individual who may like conflict and tries to engage you, just simply walk away. There is no need to engage the individual, your peace of mind and managing your holiday stress is more important. Simply excuse yourself and find another person or group to mingle with.
Embrace imperfections
Remind yourself that things do not have to perfect for them to work and be enjoyable. So do not stress about finding the perfect gift or having the perfect holiday get together. To manage your holiday stress when it comes to gift giving, decide to keep the receipt, and not be offended if someone returns it. If he/she does not like it, it is okay. If he/she does, it is even better. When you do this, you are deciding to not be stressed about it either way. When it comes to your get together, if something ends up burnt, it is okay. If all the decorations are not up, that it okay too. Remember that with imperfections is where the beauty lies. When you remember this, you will focus more on the true meaning of the season and not all the fluff which tends to cause unnecessary holiday stress.
Gratitude
Wake up each day with a grateful heart by stating everything that is going right in your life. When you do this on a regular basis, especially during the holiday season, you cannot help but be more positive. Gratitude will help you manage your holiday stress because you will always err on the side of positivity with anything that may arise.
Self-love
Speak words of love and abundance over yourself. Be sure you are moving and fueling your body. Sit quietly and just close your eyes so that you can relax your mind. Tell yourself that you are doing a wonderful job and that everything will work out as it should.
Choose wisely
Remember that you do not have to attend every holiday event and gathering. You will become overwhelmed, highly stressed and will not be able to enjoy anything. Remember that you get to choose. Say yes to events and gatherings that you truly want to attend and say no to the ones that do not align with you this year. When you do this, you are giving yourself room and permission to just breathe. The ones that you decline, if you are so inclined, you can send a nice holiday card or flowers. If you are not able to or prefer not to, a nice message that says thank you, but you are not available will suffice too. Saying no to something is really saying yes to yourself and your needs so that you can manage your stress wisely.
Have fun
Be sure that you are having fun. Laugh, drink, and be merry. Laughing is good for the soul and immediately has the opposite effect on your body versus stress. If you find yourself more stressed during the holidays, then it is time to make a point to laugh. Laugh through it all. Laugh when things are going right and when they are not. Remember that the holiday season is for being joyful, spreading love and enjoying life and the people in your life.
Verronica Mitchell, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Verronica Mitchell, is a leader and passionate about intentional manifesting, having a strong mindset and the power of positivity. Endless rejection to becoming a professional model in her late 30's, early 40's prompted Mitchell to create methods and tools to eventually being signed to a modeling agency. She has created The Manifest Life, which provides strategies to other Women over 40 to turn their dreams into realties and to unlock their hidden superpower within. Her message: You are already manifesting, you might as well be intentional.
