5 Things to Remember This Holiday Season

I just came back from the grocery store and I’m still reeling from the displays. The towers of cranberry sauce and stuffing mix one would expect, but also Christmas chocolates and eggnog! All of them are shouting at me, “The holidays are here! And you aren’t ready!” My Turbo Thinking brain has gone into overdrive: the meals, the parties, the presents, the travel, the people, the pets, the food, the drinks, the kids, the money, the house, the work, the things to fix, the things to buy, the exercise, my parents, their health, my doctor’s appointment, cancer….Bam! There goes my brain catastrophizing again. BREATHE. Pause. Redirect. 

This is MY holiday season. It’s my life and I get to call the shots. What would my ideal future self tell my today self?

• You get to set the intention:

  • What do you want? What is your objective? What would make it a great holiday season for you?

• What are your basic needs and how do you meet them?

  • How can you get your daily dose of M.E.D.S. and Vitamin C? (Mindfulness, exercise, diet, sleep, and human connection)

• What structures can you put into place ahead of time?

  • What is your budget? For finances? For time? For energy?

• How can you be true to yourself?

  • What is your purpose? What are your strengths? Who can support you? How can you remember to be your most authentic self at all times? What can you do for emotional regulation? 

• How can you believe in magic?

  • If you believe in Santa then he is real. What could be possible when you believe in serendipity? Or when you expect magic? Put yourself out there. Take risks. Who knows who you will meet or what will happen? Who knows what you might learn? 

We can be grateful for the gifts in our lives now. We can also believe that new gifts await. The holiday season can be full of surprises that enrich and empower us in ways we have yet to imagine. And that thought is way more enticing than a can of bland, jiggly, gelatinous cranberry sauce.