Make It A December To Remember - This Year, Sidestep Holiday Daze
Dear ones,
Do twinkle lights start your mind spinning? Does the sound of jingle bells make your heart start to race?
Our minds automatically revert to overdrive around the holidays. Your mind is filled with many unconscious “shoulds” that can drive you into a frenzy, stress, disappointment, and even depression.
Some of these unconscious thoughts can be:
The tree needs to be trimmed just right.
I have to get just the right presents to make him/her happy.
I have too many holiday gatherings.
My family is difficult and I don’t enjoy them but I have to go.
Peace would be nice at this time of year, but it is not possible.
It seems to be a never-ending scurrying about, doing more, and trying to make others happy by figuring out what they need. And, there might be a continuous loop in your head of dread – thinking of having to spend time with a certain family member or even wanting to avoid the whole holiday.
Where is your peace and joy really?
Creating a daily life of joy and peace, especially during the holidays may seem impossible. So, how do you shift to really create the most beautiful holiday season?
The first step is to start to question every belief you have. Most of us go on autopilot about 96 to 98% of the time and we do not check the statements we tell ourselves.
We’ve come up with an unaware, self-sabotaging checklist - we don’t realize how hard we are on ourselves or others. The unconscious mind has the responsibility to think the worst, in order to protect you. And left unchecked, it will keep you stuck, small, and from what you most want.
It all rests on what you believe. For what you believe, you create. Your thoughts truly do create your entire life.
So, check yourself for a moment, before you start running into the holiday.
Your Beliefs Create Your Life
What have you been believing about your spouse, your children, your family, your friends, your work, and yourself? Write it down. Understand what you are believing. Where do you find that you put pressure on yourself?
Where do you find a sense of dread or overwhelm?
Don’t judge.
Noticing what you tell yourself is the foundational power to begin a new way of being with yourself and the world.
Those questions are really important to look at for your sense of well-being. Notice how you respond to the thoughts you tell yourself.
If you don’t have peace and joy from your thoughts, you have the power to feel differently by simply changing your thoughts and practicing being kind to yourself.
This is neuroscience ...the rewiring and reconditioning of your mind that you alone have complete control over. It is a continual practice. You get to choose what you want to believe and how you feel always!
Decide What You Have Power Over
To remove yourself from autopilot you have to accept what you don’t have power over. One of the major holiday self-sabotaging thoughts is: making sure someone else is happy with the gift you give them.
If this comes up for you, it’s a great opportunity to question and ask yourself, “What am I truly seeking from that person that I can give myself?”
I’m guessing you most want to connect and enjoy a few moments with them. You want them to have joy and peace too. How can you share that with them without having to give them a gift, in order for you to have peace and joy.
And, regardless of how they respond, how can you be loving and kind to yourself and to them? This is unconditional love. The way you want to be loved too. So, love yourself first. The inner work is to know that you are enough, no matter what anyone else thinks, and no matter what you give or don’t give to them. You are enough because you have breath, and you are loved by God. You are like no other.
How could this season be a time to take stock of what you believe and a deeper practice to choose what you want to dwell on for your inner peace? You are the resource of your joy.
Take Time To Be Still
This December pause every morning to give yourself extra love, reminding yourself that you are enough, and you truly do have enough in this very moment. If your heart is beating and you are breathing, you truly do have what you need at this moment.
And, this is all we have -this very moment. Here’s to celebrating the power within you to create the holiday you want.
Joy to you,
Xxoo
Debra
“My Genius is Seeing Yours”