{buybutton id=16183/}Stressor #1: You’re feeling overwhelmed with too much to do and too many places to go.
Antidote: Meditate! Meditation helps stretch time and space. This simple technique can help you calm down: Roll your tongue like a straw and inhale through your tongue for as long as you can. Exhale through your nose. This will calm your parasympathetic nervous system. Practice for 3-11 minutes.
I have worked with many business owners who swear that when they meditate for just 11-22 minutes a day, they get everything done and have extra time. When they don’t meditate, because they “don’t have the time,” they find they don’t get as much done and are much more stressed out by their workload.
Stressor #2: You’re feeling overstretched financially.
Antidote: Welcome to the Holidays, right? It doesn’t have to be this way. You do need someone you respect and trust to sit down with you and actually look at what you can afford to spend. Take that number then break that amount up with a percentage to each person you have been blessed to have on your list (of course this percentage doesn’t have to be equal!) You may be inspired to get creative in your gift-giving. Do this exercise with someone who will hold you accountable to your budget.
Stressor #3: Eating too much, hating the weight gain and how hard it is to lose afterwards.
Antidote: I call this the “Oh Damn Syndrome.” Standing, eating, and talking makes it difficult to eat mindfully. I have many solutions for this one but a good one is: Don’t go to parties hungry. Eat something filling before you go and drink plenty of fluids, preferably water or seltzer. Drink and talk and play = No regrets and no weight gain.
Antidote: Don’t be a sugar slave: This drug of choice makes us crazy and cranky. To avoid overdoing it get selective: take your time and choose your treat carefully. Eat one sugar treat slowly with your non dominant hand and enjoy it. Remind yourself that you don’t need to try the entire dessert table.
Antidote:Darkness factor: This syndrome, referred to as Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.) is about your pituitary not getting the light it needs. Do you know what else stimulates your pituitary gland? Meditation. Sit with eyes closed and look between your two eyes at your pituitary gland. Take long, sipping breaths as if sipping a thick drink through a straw. Exhale out the nose. Do this everyday for 11-22 minutes. For an instant mood boost, try smelling uplifting essential oils with lots of citrus.
Stressor #6: Family: too much of a good thing.
Antidote: While family is a blessing, time together during the holidays can be challenging, particularly if there’s someone in your family you have difficulty with. The two best solutions: have a sense of humor and don’t go where this person is leading you. If they are taking you down an old well-worn path to destruction, change the subject, direct the conversation elsewhere, pull the bathroom card (“so sorry I have to go to the bathroom”) or say, “Let’s go outside,” (creates more space.)
Stressor #7: Navigating all the holiday party invitations: where to say yes or feeling left out.
Antidote: Prioritize. Make sure to have a balance between what you want and what is required of you. Events can fit so nicely into your calendar but they don’t fit into your life the same way. Create an out for yourself, make excuses: no one has to know you said no to your second cousin’s holiday bash to attend a party of one in your bathtub!
If you wish you were invited to more gatherings, have something at your place very early in the season and get help making it really fun and memorable. Also ask yourself why you really want to go to these events. You might unveil some interesting insights.
Remember, this holiday season you have to be clear about what you want. Embrace your desires, then take action.
For more life tips and tools please visit http://www.gurutej.com.
For more tips on surviving the holidays, please visit: http://www.openroadmedia.com/holidaysurvival.