The holiday season is upon us – there’s no denying it. As I write, Halloween hasn’t even arrived, but the grocery store already has an entire aisle dedicated to Christmas goodies, the Black Friday sale emails are arriving in my inbox on a daily basis (I can’t imagine what the flow will look like come mid November!) and the post box is filling up with annual appeal letters (it’s heartbreaking, so many unmet needs in this world).
The pull of the season won’t be easing up, it’s only going to get stronger. The glossy magazines that greet us at the checkout line will keep reminding us how the holidays “should” look. Lifestyle gurus will be popping up in more and more segments on the TV, instructing us how to do the holidays right. Pinterest and Instagram feeds will be full of gorgeous images just daring us to up our game and make everything picture perfect.
So why am I sharing this rather stress inducing, if not depressing play-by-play? For a really simple reason, I know how easy it is to get pulled into the Must Do It All mindset. You’re moving along, focused on your own thing, but the siren call is there – do more, do it better, do it all. It’s hard to tune it out, pretty soon you’re swimming against the tide of overwhelming expectations, crashing against the rocks, exhausted and resentful. I know that sounds a little dramatic right now, but talk to me when you’re up at midnight on the 24th frantically wrapping gifts (not that I’ve ever done that<<< obvious big fat lie).
My point, I know just how stressful the holidays can be. I used to get caught up in the excitement of the season but not in a good way – in the how much can I possibly pack in and still manage to live to tell about it way. I thought that you had to do it all. I never even questioned whether I wanted to do it, I just did it (expectations are powerful commanders!).
Anyway, one crazier than crazy day, I stopped. And I thought what the h-e-double-hockey-sticks am I even doing?? Who am I doing it for? Why am I doing it? I don’t remember what stopped me, but I do remember what happened next. I took stock and looked at the situation through a stranger’s eyes – with unbiased honesty. I had totally lost the meaning of the season. But I meant to get it back!
I wanted family time, I wanted to embrace gratitude, I wanted to feel joy and I wanted to create meaningful memories. I was tired of feeling stressed, especially over something that wasn’t worthy of it. So I sat myself down and crafted a plan. Over time it morphed into something I shared with clients. And now sharing it publicly (that means with you!) is a highlight of the season for me.
So what is ‘it’? It’s the Less Stress, More Joy Save Your Sanity Holiday Action Plan. And I think it’s terrific! That’s obviously a biased opinion, but you can judge for yourself, because it’s free – my holiday gift to you. It’s delivered as an interactive PDF and it walks you through the exact process I use myself. It will help you create a holiday season that is meaningful and joyful.
The plan isn’t about what to cook, what to buy, or how to decorate – it’s about clarifying what you want to experience. It’s about identifying your priorities and getting comfortable saying no to everything else.
Of course, time is big deal – how we manage it directly affects our stress levels. That topic is covered in depth, so you can finally focus on the things that truly matter and deflect distractions with ease.
In a nutshell, it’s about decluttering your life and creating an environment for joy! The bonus? You can apply everything to life in general so the magic doesn’t have to end with the holidays. So you’ll be able welcome 2018 with a new supportive mindset in place. Not too shabby, huh?
Did I mention it’s free? That’s right, free! You can sign up below (as soon as you confirm your email address, it will be in your inbox – no strings attached), or you can pop over here to learn more about what’s included in the Less Stress, More Joy Holiday Action Plan (there’s a sign up form there too).
