Picture this: Christmas Eve morning, my kitchen in utter disarray, and the clock ticking down to family arrivals. Sounds familiar? Welcome to my world, where holiday stress is as traditional as the turkey on the table. Join my solo journey in this episode as I tackle the irony of the festive frenzy and offer you a sleigh-full of advice on how to navigate the season with more joy and less panic. I'll share my personal anecdotes and the lessons I've learned about simplifying celebrations, rethinking gift-giving, and setting aside the quest for holiday perfection in favor of creating memories that truly last.
As we say goodbye to our time together, I wrap up the episode with a cozy blanket of well-wishes for your Christmas and the New Year of 2024. While there are no guests joining us this time, the stories and strategies I've shared are universal, and I'm confident they'll strike a chord with you. So, if you're eager to enter the upcoming year with a refreshed outlook and a heart full of cheer, make sure to hit that subscribe button for more heartfelt conversations and empowering insights that light up your path from struggle to strength.
Trauma Recovery Redefined: From Struggle to Strength. Support our work- Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abgwblog Disclaimer: https://herguru.uk/disclaimers/
Picture this: Christmas Eve morning, my kitchen in utter disarray, and the clock ticking down to family arrivals. Sounds familiar? Welcome to my world, where holiday stress is as traditional as the turkey on the table. Join my solo journey in this episode as I tackle the irony of the festive frenzy and offer you a sleigh-full of advice on how to navigate the season with more joy and less panic. I'll share my personal anecdotes and the lessons I've learned about simplifying celebrations, rethinking gift-giving, and setting aside the quest for holiday perfection in favor of creating memories that truly last.
As we say goodbye to our time together, I wrap up the episode with a cozy blanket of well-wishes for your Christmas and the New Year of 2024. While there are no guests joining us this time, the stories and strategies I've shared are universal, and I'm confident they'll strike a chord with you. So, if you're eager to enter the upcoming year with a refreshed outlook and a heart full of cheer, make sure to hit that subscribe button for more heartfelt conversations and empowering insights that light up your path from struggle to strength.
Trauma Recovery Redefined: From Struggle to Strength. Support our work- Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abgwblog Disclaimer: https://herguru.uk/disclaimers/
Speaker 1:
Hello, beautiful souls, welcome back to ABGW. Amazing, brilliant, gorgeous, wonderful trauma recovery redefined from struggle to strength. I'm your guide, cheryl, and today's exploration is all about crafting less stress. And today we're diving in to a topic close to many of our hearts during this festive time managing holiday stress. But before I start, let me share a little story with you.
Speaker 1:
So today okay, it's Christmas Eve morning and the weather's kind of mild where we are, but there's still a bit of, you know, coldness in the air, and I found myself venturing into oldie, hoping to beat any further holiday rush. My mission was simply to gather the vegetables that I need for tomorrow, christmas dinner. And it's Sunday, the clock has barely struck 10am yet, to my surprise, the store is already bustling with activity. You know, as I'm navigating through the aisles, I couldn't help but notice the sense of urgency that's, you know, filling in the air, and people are darting everywhere with their baskets, their faces, act with determination, and some of them actually have a look of total panic Although it's a kind of stressful one searching for that elusive jar of cranberry sauce or the perfect, you know, 15 pence packet of parsnips, or did you remember the mint sauce? So it's really funny. In one corner a gentleman sort of muttering under his breath. His frustration is evident as he's scanning the shelves for, I think, for some stuffing, and nearby there's a mum. Her basket is overflowing. She's got a toddler with her and she looks though she's juggling her list while dealing with the toddler, and it seems to just be crazy. Anyway, it's just like it's, I don't know. It just reminded me of this total holiday paradox. Here we all are striving to create a perfect Christmas and yet in doing so we're swept up with all the stress and all the chaos. And it struck me what the fuck? Isn't Christmas supposed to be a time of joy and peace? What the hell is going on? This episode of ABGW is brought to you by Her Guru Coaching and Hypnotherapy, exploring the potential within. Her Guru provides both physical and mental fitness, coaching and hypnotherapy services. You can find out more details by visiting her guruuk.
Speaker 1:
Oh, I just love this time of year. It's just the perfect excuse to watch love. Actually, I just love the scene when they're at the airport and everyone's being reunited with their loved ones, and it just reminds me of the joy and warmth of this time of year. It's like clockwork, isn't it? The tinsel's just about up and you've already started feeling the strain. It's a bit like running a marathon with a sack of spuds on your back, but it doesn't have to be this way. Let's take a closer look at what's really going on.
Speaker 1:
The holidays can be a bit like navigating a minefield filled with family gatherings that could rival the royal teeth, really. And don't forget the endless gift shopping and those never ending queues, and it's important to recognize triggers. The thing is, in Germany there was a tradition of hiding a pickled ornament in the Christmas tree, and a child who finds it gets an extra gift. Now, that's a festive game, isn't it? Can you imagine if we did that here in the UK what chaos there would be? All of this makes war and peace seem like a short story. The relentless pursuit of the perfect gift, the conflict with who's going to watch, whether you're EastEnders or Coronation Street, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.
Speaker 1:
Remember when Christmas was all about the anticipation and the excitement and the magic of the season. I can remember when I got Gordon the Gopher as the Christmas present. He's a stuff puppet for those who don't know who Gordon the Gopher is, but I remember honestly. I was just over the moon. It was just the most amazing Christmas present I had ever had, because I just loved watching him on TV.
Speaker 1:
And now, as an adult, it seems like Christmas is just a stress fest. It's as if the holiday season has become an unwelcome tradition, a bit like auntie Maud bringing me a jumper to wear. That I absolutely hate. But fair, not ladies. Here are some practical strategies to help you waltz through the rest of the holiday season with the grace, poison, ease that you are surrounding yourself by.
Speaker 1:
So the holiday season often seems like an endless round of social obligations, but hey, here's a radical thought for you. Have you thought about not attending some stuff? I mean, you don't have to attend every event that you're invited to. It's okay, I think, to politely decline and take some time for yourself. After all, we've had a manic year. This season is all about joy and peace, and running yourself ragged it doesn't make any sense. So if saying no, thank you, thank you for inviting me helps keep your sanity intact, go for it. Growing up, perhaps your mom cooked a full Christmas dinner and your family hosted a really lavish holiday. Get together. But these traditions are causing more stress than joy. It's time to reassess. For me, it's about not being afraid to break away and start your own more relaxing traditions Maybe a potluck dinner instead of cooking everything yourself, or a cozy gathering with just a few friends instead of the grand party that we all feel that we have to have.
Speaker 1:
The quest for the perfect gift. This year, I've decided I'm not buying anyone any presents. There's several reasons for it, but for me, that quest for that perfect gift gift can drain the joy out of the season. There's so much more going on at the moment that I just haven't had the time to spend to look for gifts. The thing is, my thought is remembering that it's not about the price tag or the rarity of the gift. It's about me using my time, giving my time not just now, but throughout the year. So what I've decided to do is I've given out some time coupons. I would say so for a three nights babysitting for my daughter or for helping my mum do an errand. And the thing is and don't forget the magic of online shopping, which I have used so many times because it's a great way to avoid crowded stalls and long queues.
Speaker 1:
Do you remember that scene in A Christmas Carol, the scene where Scrooge's transformation from this misery to a generous and joyful person reminds me of the power of change and redemption, and the key to a stress three holiday season is to identify the things that are causing you stress and finding ways to either eliminate them, minimize them or at least manage them, because most of the time, the stress is self-inflicted due to unrealistic expectations. So I invite you to give yourself a gift for the rest of the holiday season if you will accept it, of course and that gift is to set time aside for you to enjoy yourself and be relaxed, because, at the end of the day, you deserve it. Amazing, brilliant, gorgeous, wonderful helping women just like you, who are unhappy, perhaps even with your supposedly quote unquote good life. This is a mum and daughter duo not pulling any punches as we explore trauma recovery and ideas for building resilience. So you work smarter, and definitely not harder, to create a transformational life, a life you love more often than not. So I hope that you have been able to take something away from this episode, something that will allow you to take some action and maybe a real sense of inspiration in the knowledge that you can make positive changes to create a more serene and joyful holiday season and thereby, extension, a more fulfilling life.
Speaker 1:
That's it for this episode. Hope you enjoyed it. If you haven't yet subscribed, please do so so that you can catch the next episode. I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy 2024. Bye for now.