Holidays are difficult for many.
Are you on an unexpected emotional rollercoaster this month? Or perhaps you expected the rollercoaster, but find it unsettling all the same. Either way, this article is for you.
I’ve been watching myself alternately saying I don’t care about celebrating the holidays, then feeling envious of other people’s holiday plans. It’s an illness—I need holiday medicine!
It’s not at all logical.
But when have emotions ever been logical?
I’ve done some extra studying about the School of Peace this past week.
School of Peace mastery tools are the perfect Holiday Medicine.
A hallmark of someone enjoying School of Peace Mastery, is the Balance they enjoy in their lives. Time for work, time for play. Time for activity, time for rest. Family time, alone time. Time for entertainment, time for renewal.
Let’s face it: pre-Christmas is one of the least balanced times of the year there is!
- Folks are working like crazy—not only at their jobs, but also preparing for the holidays.
- Nutrition gets out of whack thanks to ever-present holiday treats.
- Exercise falls by the wayside.
- People drift to one end or the other of the social spectrum—either attending so many parties they scarcely can catch a breath, or isolating like hermits.
- The feeling of “not enough to go around” takes over as gift-giving stretches budgets stretch to the limit.
The answer:
Take the primary action recommended to those in the School of Peace: Take a deep breath.
Breathe in, breathe out, repeat.
It’s your tonic—your holiday medicine.
With enough oxygen, your muscles can relax, your brain can slow down, and you can eventually hear your heart and your intuition. The subtle navigation you so desperately need in order to find your balance comes through acting on guidance from your intuition.
Discerning what holiday medicine you need, moment to moment, requires listening within. For that, you must:
Slow down, Breathe, and Listen.
The many loud messages from without (carols, advertisements, other people’s experiences, etc.) make listening within a challenge.
Listening takes focus and awareness.
When listening within, keep your attention on the present. Holidays bring up the past like few other things. Expectations and emotions from the past cloud your vision and your decisions. You cannot navigate the present unless you stay in the present!
If I had this art down, I wouldn’t be writing about it. I write, so often, about what I need to learn, and am learning.
I, too, need to stop, breathe, listen, then act.
Coach’s Challenge:
Any time you feel sad, disappointed, overwhelmed, lonely, tired, envious, or irritated: Stop. Breathe. Listen within. What do I really want or need right now, in this moment? Truer holiday medicine cannot be found!
What’s your experience? Leave a comment below…
