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How To Have a Stress Free Holiday Season
In our daily living, life can flash by without us even being aware of it. Urban living has become an extremely fast paced run to the finish and very often the finish line does not remain constant. The moving target makes it very difficult to feel that we have accomplished or reached the destination.
Caring for children, working and maintaining a balanced life takes a toll on our health and well-being. It can feel as though we live our lives without much control over the time we have. However, there are ways in which we can attain a sense of calm and peace within the same framework of the life we have created for ourselves.
The holiday season can be especially difficult for many of us. There is the pressure of finishing our shopping before the end of the season and making it back in one piece. The expectations we place on ourselves of trying to accommodate friends and family and still maintain a job and a regular schedule for our children are immense. All of these can be stressful and lead to unhealthy behaviors such as eating or drinking more and sleeping less. By the end of the holidays how many of us have said that we need to rest from the holidays?
Sometimes the reason the holiday season is stressful is that we place many expectations on ourselves and loved ones. We may want things a certain way and strive to accomplish that without any compromises. We lose our sense of what felt like a balanced life before the holidays rolled in and placed us closer to the edge of feeling frantic and stressed out.
By reminding ourselves of the important things that mean most to us and letting go of others that matter less we can regain control. Practicing mindfulness and learning to live in the moment can make the holidays more enjoyable and stress free.
