Relieving Holiday Stress

“…be the change
you wish
to see in
the world..”
-gandhi

I was thinking before writing on my blog today, “Holidays can be a very painful time.” Having expectations the holidays will be fun, relaxing and receive the love and support we crave from others.

Hello, guess again. What reality usually dictates is that we are busy shopping, running around to beat the clock and annoyed with people in general.

What happened to our holiday expectations? Down the drain!

We don’t realize that not having our expectations become reality we subconsciously become angry and instead of enjoying the holidays they become a burden.

As Gandhi says,” Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Take a step back and rearrange your thinking and schedule.

Let me tell you a little story.

I was out shopping for gifts the other night and everything I picked up was just not right for the person I was thinking about. After walking around the mall for over an hour I decided to stop for a cup of coffee and go home.

Listening to the people on line behind me complaining about the holidays made me realize I was doing the same thing.

I started to think of what could I do differently?

I found a bench and just rested for awhile drinking my coffee. The idea popped into my head to ask my grandchildren for a wish list. Then I could have some direction and buy what they really wanted.

I went home, called each grandchild and asked them to give me a wish list of only 3 things. The older ones wanted to spend a day in NYC with me or just go out for dinner. The others gave me their choices. It made my life so much easier and I had a happy memory speaking with each and everyone of them about the holiday season.

What can you do to make this season a little easier, create memories and enjoy yourself?

Please share your ideas with the Love Yourself – It Matters! Community. I look forward to reading your comments.

Helen

Thinking Like a Winner

Thinking as a One-Hundred-Percent-of-the-Time Winner

Thinking like a winner means not always having to defeat someone else.

It means being able to grow from a situation in which you fail to reach your goal.

It involves not demanding perfection from yourself in every single thing you do, but, instead, thinking of yourself as perfect and thus capable of growing.

It means reminding yourself that perfection doesn’t mean staying the same; it means being able to allow yourself to grow.

Thinking as a winner means not coming down on yourself; it means refusing to allow self-negative thoughts into your head.

It involves pushing out the wanting to evaluate yourself in comparison with others, and giving yourself permission to be the unique person you are.”
Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

Give yourself a special fourth-of-July present today and celebrate your beauty, qualities and gifts you share with the world. Today is your special day and enjoy it!!

I would love to hear about your special day and how you celebrated your beauty. I can be contacted by leaving a comment below this article or send me an email at helen@loveyourselfcoaching.net.

Holidays Don’t Have to Be Full of Stress

Holidays Don’t Have to Be Full of Stress
Empowerment Coach Offers Tips to Enjoy the Season

Balancing work and family is difficult enough on a normal day, but the stress of juggling holiday responsibilities can push anyone to the breaking point. But according to Helen J. Burton, an empowerment and recovery coach, much of the stress is focusing on ‘should haves’ instead of embracing the moments for what they are.

"Most people are striving for the Currier and Ives Christmas of their childhood, but in reality they're dreading the holidays because they know it won’t meet their idealistic view,” she explains.

How can you beat back the dread and have the family holiday of your dreams? "Start by lowering your expectations," advises Burton. "Be more realistic about what you can do. This usually involves changing the tradition — it can be equally as good, but it has to be unique to your family."

Burton is a certified coach who helps both addicts and their loved ones work through the pain and develop a plan for a purposeful future. She founded Love Yourself Coaching (www.loveyourselfcoaching.net) in 2001, to meet the ongoing need creating healing and better lives by empowering others.

She offers the following tips to help de-stress and enjoy more of the holiday season:

• Take a mini-holiday everyday. “It’s important to focus 10 minutes every day on you by taking time out for yourself,” says Burton. She suggests reading, listening to music, meditating, or just doing nothing.
• Get out and enjoy the season. “Forget participating in the hustle and bustle, watch it go by instead by meeting a friend out for coffee,” she says. “It also gives you a chance to connect with someone in a relaxed atmosphere.”
• When you need help, ask. Burton suggests having a list of friends and family who can be “just a phone call away when you are feeling stressed or upset.”
• Send yourself a holiday greeting. “Write yourself a letter which you mail to yourself by the middle of December,” says the coach. The letter should include a thank you to yourself for who you are, acknowledging how much you’ve grown. “Also put in a list of three problems you solved this year and what impact that has made on your life,” Burton says.

Burton also suggests sending a similar letter to loved ones, telling them how special they are as well. “It’s a great way to connect, and reveal the true meaning of the season.”

For more information about Love Yourself Coaching, contact Burton at Helen@LoveYourselfCoaching.net.