I was shopping in Walmart last week and heard an employee loudly singing along to the Christmas Music. It's those simple moments of unexpected joy that truly capture the essence of the holiday season. In this episode, we talk about how the holiday spirit can be a year-round mindset, not just for the festive season.
We all know the holiday season can be stressful, but it doesn't have to be. As we navigate the bustling holiday season together, let's find joy in being present rather than perfect. We'll discuss re-evaluating traditions that bring more stress than joy, setting boundaries, and effectively communicating with loved ones. Plus, I'll let you in on my secret weapons for making life easier during the festive season. So, sit back, get comfy, and let's unwrap the peace and joy of the holiday season together.
I was shopping in Walmart last week and heard an employee loudly singing along to the Christmas Music. It's those simple moments of unexpected joy that truly capture the essence of the holiday season. In this episode, we talk about how the holiday spirit can be a year-round mindset, not just for the festive season.
We all know the holiday season can be stressful, but it doesn't have to be. As we navigate the bustling holiday season together, let's find joy in being present rather than perfect. We'll discuss re-evaluating traditions that bring more stress than joy, setting boundaries, and effectively communicating with loved ones. Plus, I'll let you in on my secret weapons for making life easier during the festive season. So, sit back, get comfy, and let's unwrap the peace and joy of the holiday season together.
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Speaker 1:
Hi friends, welcome back to another episode of Elevate with Erica. So okay, first, I'm a little more dolled up because we're attending a friend's Christmas party tonight. I see my tree behind me, the sounds, the sights, the warmth, the peace during the holidays. It's such a joyous time of year and I know that for many it can actually be a painful time of year, especially if you are missing a loved one or maybe you're reflecting on a year that didn't go as smoothly as you hoped and, by the way, we will get into that piece on my next episode. My final episode of 2023 is going to touch on that, or for many, it brings up stress and pressure and anxiety to make it perfect for your kids or for, maybe, family you have coming in to stay with you or to give the perfect gift, and we're going to get into some simple strategies to manage that pressure today. But right now, let's acknowledge the holiday season and the fact that it's meant to be a time of peace and joy, and there is something about seeing the house that's the first to put their lights up in your neighborhood, right, something about hearing that first Christmas song on the radio or on a commercial, if you still watch those these days. And, side note, I'm loving asking Alexa to play I have to whisper this to play Jazz Christmas or Kenny G Holiday. It's such a great background noise in my home while I'm working or cleaning or over family meals. But yes, there is something about just sitting in your home late night or early morning when it's quiet, when the kids are in bed, and seeing the twinkling of the Christmas tree. Right, and those things that we see here and do during the holidays just make even the most ordinary things more enjoyable.
Speaker 1:
You know I don't enjoy going to Walmart. I didn't think that that would be a surprise to learn until I shared that on some social media story that I did and people responded, and even my therapist in a recent session that said that it's their favorite store. Okay, that shocked me. But today I had to run into Walmart for just those few items that I'm forced to go there for, and while I was looking through the disorganized shelves of things, I heard an employee singing along to the Christmas music just an aisle over, and she was so loud and proud with it and she had a pretty voice too, and I thought to myself Can we just bottle this up where a Walmart employee is singing Christmas tunes and people were smiling as they're pushing their cart through the aisles and listening it made it nearly impossible to push through the aisles as if nothing else existed but you and your agenda, because it brought us all this sense of joy in a place where manners and respect for one another can be hard to find on any other day, right? So I feel like I preface everything that I say now with because it's been a rough second half of this year, sort of like a pre and post pandemic kind of timeframe of reference that we give. This was me pre, midway through the year, and this is me post. It feels like two very different worlds for me. So forgive me if I continue to use that as a point of reference, but it was a huge shift in my life and because of that shift I ran towards the spirit of Christmas like never before. I became that person, that person that I criticized for years in the past for putting our decorations up too soon.
Speaker 1:
I've always been adamant that fall decor remains up through Thanksgiving that is until this year and I put up my Christmas decorations on November 4th. I needed the joy, I needed to feel good in my home again. It was cleansing. It was washing away the negative energy that had built up between these walls and replacing that with something that brings me and my family undeniable peace and joy, and it brings about the spirit of giving and gratitude and stillness. So it's the joy that comes with the holiday season that I was craving. It's the feeling of the woman singing at Walmart that immediately brought joy to everyone nearby. It's the way asking Alexa to play Kenny G holiday brings me peace, immediately, releasing that tension in my shoulders. Now I know it's frowned upon to leave your lights up all year round, and even Kenny G would probably get old after a while.
Speaker 1:
So how can we carry the joy of this holiday season with us long after we pack up the Christmas decorations and shove them back in the attic? Feeling togetherness, mindfulness, creating new family traditions throughout the year, kindness, gratitude and more quiet time. That last one is so important and in 2024, I want more, still moments, more moments to just enjoy the beauty around me, because this year felt really noisy and I feel like by some circumstances, both outside of myself and some within, I kind of lost my footing and direction this year. Absolutely a podcast on that in the new year. But the peace the holidays are meant to bring us, the warming in our hearts when we see lights and hear Christmas music. We can recreate that peace anytime of the year by just quieting the noise and soaking in the beauty around us. It's not actually the lights or the music. It's the emotions that automatically bubble up when we remember past holiday seasons from as far back as childhood, or when we start to imagine what this Christmas will bring, and then, following up to those emotions with the feelings our minds will summon up when met with those. But we can summon those feelings all throughout the year. We can continue the positive feelings and values associated with the holidays with just a few simple things.
Speaker 1:
Practicing gratitude is one. I know we hear this so much anymore, but I work with people daily who are still not incorporating this. Not just once in a while, not just on Sundays at church, not just on the holidays, but daily, twice a day. It should be a thing like brushing your teeth. It's what you do, it's who you are, and I totally believe that this is a great one to habit stack. So, while you're brushing your teeth, that becomes the time when you practice gratitude, if this isn't a practice you already have in place. Reflect on the things that you're grateful for while you're brushing your teeth. This seems like a small thing to many. But if it's so small, then why don't you try it for two weeks, because I guarantee you that you will feel a more positive mindset, especially in the face of adversity.
Speaker 1:
Your focus on the daily is just different. You start looking for things to be grateful for and you start to appreciate the blessings in your life, not what you feel like you're lacking. To spread kindness and embrace a giving mindset. Carry the spirit of giving and kindness into your everyday. What if, every week, once a week, you bought someone a coffee or a donut? It doesn't need to be this big thing. Make a batch of cookies or a banana bread. These are inexpensive things to do. Write a personalized note to someone you love. That costs nothing.
Speaker 1:
Appreciate or admire someone a little more often, right? Not just on their birthday or Valentine's Day or Christmas. Invite someone to join you in small everyday errands. We need more togetherness, aliveness, connection, and someone may be in serious need of that. Could you get some shopping done faster without them? Sure, but this isn't about the hustle. This is part of the peace the presence Not presence with a T, but your presence, their presence and togetherness. That's what makes the holiday season so special, and three, create year-round traditions that bring about the same excitement, peace and joy and togetherness that the holiday season brings, like family movie nights, at least monthly and I actually mean schedule these in, like you know that the third Friday of every month is when your family has to turn in their electronic devices and y'all got to watch the movie together or monthly dinners with friends, or game nights. Think of traditions that bring about togetherness, not about spending a bunch of money or going over the top. This is quality time, just simple present together, time that you do on a predefined basis and for celebrate the small moments, joy in everyday moments. You guys know I'm preparing to create my first guided journal, the driver's seat journal, and perhaps my favorite prompt in the daily exercise is what you ask yourself at night. This is something that none of the journals that I currently have ever put quite this way.
Speaker 1:
What was my favorite part of today? On the ordinary, every day, it's easy to get in bed and you think about the bad things that happened that day and what we want to do better tomorrow, or all the problems we got to fix tomorrow Again, all problem focused, where instead I'm asking you to shift your focus to what was the best thing that happened today and for me? The other day it was watching my son still enjoy the spirit of Christmas by opening his advent calendar. Another day it was watching a movie as a family. Like these aren't huge things, but they were the best parts of my day and they are the small moments that we forget about, the moments that get crushed under the layers of the challenges that come up that day. But if we start recognizing those small moments in every single day and celebrating them by focusing on them, then we will feel that shift in our energy all day, because we're constantly looking for those small moments, those best parts of your day. The spirit of Christmas is about love and generosity, not just presence, but presence and compassion. Incorporate those things into your daily with these four tips and it's gonna help you extend that warmth and joy of the holidays throughout the entire year.
Speaker 1:
Now one more thing I wanna touch on in this episode. Let's talk about something we may all be feeling stress during the holiday season. It can be challenging. You're trying to be present, you're trying to soak up the joy, right, like all the four things I just said. You're like I'm trying to do all that, but you've got this party to get to and that family gathering to get to, and this local event to get your kids to, and decorating and shopping and that dang elf, all these other traditions that start to feel like chores, and they leave us, on December 25th, wondering where the last two weeks went and feeling a little sad that it's all over.
Speaker 1:
But I wanna share with you some tips of mindfulness and self-care and setting boundaries that are gonna help you manage that stress. Let's navigate these things with a little more ease. One way to do that is to practice mindfulness. Okay, what does that mean? That sounds really frilly, sounds like good self-talk and all yogi-like and I ain't got time for mindfulness. But hear me out.
Speaker 1:
Take a few moments to just focus on your breath each day, to inhale slowly and exhale deeply, and bring your focus back to the now, the present moment, when you're in a heightened state of stress. This helps take my focus from everything that needs to be done to okay, every day. Okay, erica, but what are you doing in this moment so that I don't skip the joy that that moment's gonna bring? Being mindful of what you're eating and I'm not telling you to skip out on the holiday foods that you love no way. But I'm asking you to be mindful of your body's response and in signals of hunger and fullness, and to do this we need to eat slower and savor every bite. Gratitude we've already touched on this and it's important all year round, but when you're busy over the holidays it's also easy to forget to do every day. Reflect on the positive aspects of your life every time you sit and look at the tree or every time you do something that you do daily. Remember habit stacking is a great way to build this habit and turn it from a once in a while thing to an everyday thing. So consider a gratitude journal as well as grabbing a copy of my driver's seat journal that's gonna ask you to do this every day anyway and it'll be releasing soon. You can click on the link in the show notes to join the wait list, because there's just something about actually writing it down, and I finish my daily prompts in less than five minutes.
Speaker 1:
Number two self-care. Prioritize your sleep. I know you've got so much to do and maybe your to-do list is a little longer this time of year, but you know what. You can't do those things as effectively or efficiently or with any amount of joy if you're exhausted, right. So we have to start getting more sleep. You know the amount of sleep that your body functions the best with. Everyone's different. Just that's just my opinion. I don't believe it's a straight seven to eight hours across the board, but I know myself and I know that I function the best with about eight hours, but I can get away with seven for a few days and then get in an eight hour night somewhere in there. So what is it for you? You're gonna be amazed by how much more productive you are when you aren't depriving yourself of sleep. So make it a priority Exercise. You guys know how I feel about physical activity. I'm a health and wellness coach after all but that's not what this episode is about. But even just a short walk daily or a quick home workout will make a huge difference in your mood and energy throughout the day, and even your quality of your sleep will improve.
Speaker 1:
And me time? All right, I know when I say me time, parents especially you're like what is that? And especially new moms or single parents. This may not be so easy to do, but just hear me out. Take some of what I'll get into with the next tip on setting boundaries Carve out time for activities that you enjoy. It may just be reading or listening to music or taking a bath but dedicate those times for yourself, even if it's just 15 minutes a day. You know, sometimes I think we hear somebody give the advice of you should take a bath and like a bath is a process. That's why I don't take that many baths. It takes a lot of time. By the time you're in there the water's getting cold and we're like I don't have an hour to take a bath and so I can't have me time. But you got to work with what you have and the stage of life that you're in. And if you're a new mom and your baby's barely sleeping, or if you're a single parent and your kids are always at your side, then can you carve out 15 minutes. Maybe it's a little bit less scrolling before bed, right, where you just take that time to do something that you enjoy.
Speaker 1:
And three setting boundaries and delegating responsibilities. First, you don't have to attend every holiday event that you're invited to. You're allowed to enjoy the holiday season. Two, if that means taking more time to indulge in or create your own family traditions, then do more of that. Get selective about your commitments. Don't stretch yourself so thin that you remove the ability to just be more present and still in the small moments and communicate. Let your spouse know or your family know that you need to recoup after big social events. I know I do. I feel like I need a people break after a huge social event. I need time to recharge myself. Or maybe you need less social events than you guys normally commit yourself to and more time making memories in your own home.
Speaker 1:
Talk about these things before the holidays so that you can manage what's expected of you and reduce any conflicts with your spouse or other family members and delegate responsibility. I know I could do better at this. Ask for help, my friends. It can be preparing meals and decorating or filling the stockings for your little ones. I always have a hard time with that one. Using family get-togethers. Lighten your load Because you don't have to do it all. Despite what you tell yourself. It doesn't need to be perfect and someone else is doing it a little bit differently than you would is better than you doing it because you have to do it all and feeling stressed and overwhelmed when it's the season of joy. Remember what matters here Presence, not presence or perfection in this case.
Speaker 1:
And lastly, reflect on traditions. Do you have things that you do that add more stress than the joy they bring and you just kind of mindlessly do them every year because it's what your family does? Maybe consider adapting those into something more aligned with your well-being and what the spirit of Christmas is really about. Maybe that's a little less travel, one less family party, maybe it's gift giving. One of the things me and my sisters decided to do years ago is to stop purchasing gifts for one another. It was stress and pressure and a financial commitment that didn't bring about any joy. It was more of a sense of obligation and we all agreed that it just wasn't important to us. We all have children. Let's give to the kids and for us, our gift is in being together or even just sharing pictures and FaceTime for those not near you. Be open to adapting or creating new traditions. All four of these ideas will help you prioritize your mental and physical health throughout the holiday season and, of course, tailor these to fit your individual needs and lifestyle and circumstances. But this is coming at the perfect time of year for you to start implementing them.
Speaker 1:
Today, I hope you're feeling a little lighter, a little merrier and armed with some strategies to navigate the holiday stress while keeping that Christmas spirit burning bright all year round. The holiday spirit is a state of mind that can be with us every day and as we continue into the holiday season and beyond. Let's make a pact to carry the Christmas spirit with us Not just in December, but in every month and every interaction. You have the power to make a difference, not only in your life, but in the lives of those around you. If you enjoy today's episode, don't forget to subscribe, leave a review and share it with someone you love. Keep elevating your life with love and joy, and remember that you have the magic within you to make every day feel like a holiday. Until next episode, friends.
Speaker 1:
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Speaker 1:
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Speaker 1:
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