Mindful Tips for Holiday Stress Relief

Holiday Stress Relief

 

At this time of year, I think nearly everyone could use some mindful tips for holiday stress relief. Between what is going on politically, economically, and socially and with worldwide tensions, it can be challenging to stay in the present moment and grounded. Since we are a woman-owned business and juggle many obligations, especially during the holidays, this is a subject that we think about a lot. Family and holidays are close to our hearts, so we want to give you some great ideas on how to lower stress and enjoy this holiday season more!

 

Perfection Can Be Brutal

 

Many people deal with perfectionism during the holidays. They want to get everything just right for everyone. Perfectionism can be brutal and it always leaves you asking if you have done enough. Accept that things won’t be perfect and enjoy the imperfections with humor. A sense of humor during the holidays is a must to lighten things up and enjoy the holidays with your friends and family.

Good can really be good enough. As we gear up for the holidays, we often set the bar too high for ourselves and others. Then we can feel upset that celebrations or gifts don’t live up to our expectations. Accepting imperfections takes practice, but the journey is worth it because if takes so much pressure off you, your friends and family, and the holiday season.

 

Treasure the Moments

 

Try staying in present moment and savor it completely. Life is a bunch of moments strung together. We tend to look to the future or compare things to the past, and we miss some of the best moments doing so. Try not to lose sight of what really is important to you in your life. Try asking yourself these questions when you get stressed during the holidays:

• How does my frustration or the situation being frustrating fit into the larger picture? Many times we let the little things get to us when we are stressed. A long checkout line is just a long line, it doesn’t affect the larger picture of your life. Don’t let a traffic jam or a long line spoil your day.
• Can I use this frustration as an opportunity to look at things differently? When frustration hits try focusing on the good things that have happened during the day and give thanks.
• Can I take this stressful moment and make it more pleasurable? Connect with someone, give a stranger a compliment, or try noticing your surroundings with new eyes and gratitude. Try keeping an open mind.

 

Try Kindness as Stress Relief

 

Many times, we can’t change the circumstance or how people act, we can only change how we respond. This isn’t suggesting spiritual whitewashing or pushing your emotions down, it’s suggesting another response to stressful situations. Always be kind to yourself. Some suggestions on how to choose kindness in stressful situations:

• When you encounter a difficult person, I try to remind myself the person is probably suffering, and this is their response to suffering. This softens my frustration with them or the situation, it helps me choose compassion over judgment, and it reminds me that however someone is acting it’s not personal.
• Try to remember that the holidays are challenging for people who are alone, maybe family lives far away, or they have just lost a loved one. See if you can treat them with kindness, especially at this time of year.
• If a situation or person gets particularly tense, take a few deep breaths or count to 10. Those few breaths can make the difference between responding or reacting.

Try Breathwork, Meditation, or Journaling for Stress Relief

 

I saw Andrew Huberman a neuroscientist and professor at Stanford interviewed by Rich Roll on his podcast. They were discussing stress and how people tend to hold their breath as a stress response. Huberman’s signature breathwork is the “psychological sigh technique” that kills stress quickly.  This is known for being an easy way to slow your heart as an antidote to stress:

• Take two short inhales through your nose
• One long exhale through your mouth while making a sigh
• Repeat this technique 2-3 times

Meditation, even for 5 minutes can make a difference in your stress levels all day. I start clients with 5 minutes once a day, then twice a day, then 10 minutes twice a day, and finally taking it up to 15 minutes twice a day. Once you build up to 15 minutes twice a day you are starting to dispel accumulated stress and you can keep stress from building up in your body. Being stressed raises your cortisol levels and sends many body systems out of balance. Breathwork is a gift to give yourself to help you  be an overall healthier human.

Journaling for keeping a gratitude journal is a great way of focusing on the good in the day. Truly, what we focus on increases. Journal about your challenges and purge them from your thought patterns and then try writing down 5 things you are grateful for at the end of the day. Writing them down instead of just saying them makes a profound difference.

 

Rethink Your New Year Resolutions

 

We have written many articles about New Year’s resolutions and being kind to yourself is so important. A person’s typical New Year’s resolutions set them up for failure. If you want to make changes that will be successful; think small and incremental, you can always expand your resolutions. Some easy tips:

• Start small and achievable. Break your goal for a New Year’s resolution into small steps to be accomplished over the year. If you want to weigh less, start small, drastic sets you up for failure. Try upping your protein, and you’ll find you crave sweets less. Most people eat too little protein, but especially women. This protein calculator helped me find my sweet spot when it came to what my body needed for protein.
• Be kind to you. Many times the only way we find out what will work is be failing. Most successful people are willing to fail. See what worked for your resolutions last year and what didn’t, and then course correct. Give yourself credit for milestones you have achieved while being kind to yourself about what didn’t work out.

A wonderful way to be kind to yourself is to delegate your house cleaning to Crystal Clear Home. Take house cleaning off your to-do list so you have more time for what you love, start a side hustle, spend more time with family and friends, or take a self-care day. Give us a call at 707-827-3316 or fill out our FREE ESTIMATE form and one of our cleaning professionals will be in touch promptly to answer your questions and give you a free estimate.