5 Things to Try This Holiday Season to Keep Your Peace
The Oily Home Companion
OHC CONTRIBUTOR: ASHLEY BEAUDIN
Ashley is a heart encourager, speaker and movement-maker to women on a mission. Ashley is passionate about helping women turn their messages into movements so that they can increase their audience and impact. She is also the visionary behind #theimperfectboss; a movement that is making imperfect normal for thousands of women.
For so many of us, the holidays are such a flurry of activity. Our calendars are filled with parties, dinners, gift-buying, school and church programs and so much more. One minute, we’re looking for that perfect present for the aunt we never know what to buy for and the next we’re pulling out those cookies from the oven that Pinterest told us would look cute.
It can be so easy to become overwhelmed and stressed during this season Sometimes the result of that is that we’re unable to really take in the beauty of what this season brings and be present with our families. Stress steals some of the joy from us.
That is also not to mention some of the very real emotions that the holiday season can bring up in us; whether it is the loss of a parent, or difficulties in close relationships or just the element of being drained by so much people time.
So, I’ve got a challenge for us, that this year will be different. Because this year we’re going to become intentional, we’re going to stay in truth and we’re going to keep our peace. I wonder how that will change how we see, how we show up and what we receive from these busy, holiday weeks.
I’ve come up with five ideas of things to try this holiday season to relieve some of that stress and overwhelm and keep your peace. Let’s dig in.
Connect with your heart.
By checking in on yourself and feeling out what you need, you’ll be able to stay connected and present. Also, if you’re having things rise in your heart because of all the family-time, give yourself some space to process that. Take a few minutes to journal or pray. Don’t push it down. That won’t help you.
Put down the phone.
We all get how fun and automatic the scroll can be. Looking through everyone’s life and seeing all those pretty photos; it can really get us out of our lives into someone else’s. There’s nothing wrong with that on it’s own, but if it’s giving you stress, because it’s causing you to compare or receive more pressure on yourself, then it’s not worth it.
Put your phone down and get in your life. Hug the people you love. Try a new holiday tradition. Give your time or energy to a cause or an event. Handwrite some cards.
Celebrate the good.
The more we celebrate and exercise gratitude of something, the more we see of it. It just happens. It’s like it multiplies right in front of our eyes or maybe we just become so much better at noticing.
So, take a moment, every single day, to see the good. Notice a good thing that happened in your day. Notice something that added beauty to your life or made your heart lift. Notice what is amazing in the person sitting beside you. Extra points if you tell them about it!
Here’s the thing. If it costs you your peace, then it’s too expensive. Set into motion intentions and rhythms that help you to stay connected and enjoy this amazing season!
Set boundaries.
Think about what is really important for you during this holiday season. What are your priorities? There will be different priorities for different people. This isn’t universal. For example, time with your kids could be really important to one, but to a person who doesn’t have kids, maybe volunteering matters to them.
Use the answer to that question to determine how you’re going to set your boundaries. How can you protect your time and energy to make that priority gets the attention it needs? Maybe you don’t say yes to everything or maybe you don’t attend every party. Find what makes sense for you.
Diffuse some oils.
Some of us are more addicted to the diffusing than others, but if you get intentional about diffusing oils in your home consistently, you’ll notice a difference. You can use different oils to increase your energy, calm down, get focused, and be more present.
Lately, I am really into oil blends from Young Living’s The Feelings Kit. One oil that’s been really helpful for me is Present Time to get into the right-now moments of life.
Let us know which ideas you end up trying this season and if you have any advice to share! @theoilyhomecompanion