A Partner For Peace

By Linda Penkala, Author, LMT

Optimum Health For Life

. http://www.lindapenkala.com/

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A Partner For Peace

To Stay Sane This Holiday Season

Recently I attended a Productivity Summit with fellow women business owners. What seemed profound was this last part: pairing up with someone, sharing a goal, and spending only three minutes each. We then promised to be accountability partners to hone in on that goal. By the next week, we met by phone to share our progress, and we’ll continue this encouraging time moving forward. Exploring helpful hints and suggestions, we came up with our completed goal to send out. We both felt uplifted, hopeful, and heard during our time together as we moved through stages of creative growth.

As we head into the holiday season, what if women embraced a new set of helpful strategies to navigate these months with ease, without the exhaustion and stress that may have been the pattern in the past? The American Psychological Association states that approximately 89% of adults experience some level of overwhelm navigating the November to January holiday season. Opening our hearts and minds to a shift will help:

Pause To Partner – find a friend in the community or church/temple to have as a wellness partner to check on each other on a weekly or biweekly basis. Sharing feelings, rather than burying them, is a healthier way to prepare and make adjustments and boundaries along the way. Getting together in person to walk and talk serves on so many healthy levels.

Attention To Stress – being mindful of an attitude of gratitude regardless of the situation helps lower the effects of chronic stress that can be compounded over time. Noticing grief or loneliness, family drama, financial concerns, or too many social events is the first step toward tailored strategies to stay calm, grounded, and peaceful. Delegating out is key!

Community – recalling that your community of family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and those in need may be struggling this season, can offer a moment to check in on them, as a Win/Win. Your tribe of girlfriends is the healing balm of connection, humor, joy, and laughter! Setting up dates with close friends can wipe away all the heavy stress, as women carry so much.

Kindness – while doing your TO DO list, on that same page, draw a vertical line to include a TO BE list. This helps anchor your heart and soul into being present for yourself. As in remembering to breathe intentionally at the desk, the sink, or while driving. The greatest gift you can give yourself, or another, is to be utterly present, and listen intently.

So, PACK up your old gift wrap from last year, and toss it out, as you have a new bow for the holidays to present to family, friends, and those who need your love, grace, and presence! Should you need further tips check out on Amazon, my book The Pause to Relax, a Woman’s Guide to Robust Heart Health!