Wrapping up the holiday season
When I was growing up, I loved that my mom would make my brothers and I handmade Valentine’s Day cards. She would put time, energy, creative and love into each of those cards. She juggled a lot, but always had time to make us feel so special. One of my favorite cards she would make was spelling our names out and putting positive descriptions about us at each letter.
I thought it would be perfect during this holiday season to create a little “handmade card” for everyone that needs a reminder of how special you are and how worthy you are for someone else’s time, energy, creativity and love. Here is my “Holidays” card to you:
H. Happy + Healthy = Healing. Are you ready to allow for health and happiness to fill all areas of your life? If not, you may need to do a little bit of healing. As the end of the year approaches, is there anything that has been holding you back that you need to release or let go? Look for areas of your life needing forgiveness or acceptance.
O. Overwhelmed. Do the holidays leave you feeling overwhelmed? Try a mini mindful moment. Take a few breaths, use grounding/centering strategies and give yourself time and space to mentally unwind. Notice what triggers any feelings of overwhelm in you. What can you do differently to reduce your feelings of overwhelm?
L. Love. Have you ever heard the saying, “what you focus on…grows”? Well, a riff off that is that love spreads love. How can you spread love? How can you show yourself, loved ones, friends, neighbors, community—love?
I. Inspiration. Do you place a value on this time of the year? Or as we hear and see during this time of the year, what is your “reason for the season?”. Where can you find inspiration during this time of the year? How can you be an inspiration during this time of the year? A wonderful quote by Grenville Kleiser is, “Make the most of today. Translate your good intentions into actual deeds”. Move on inspiration.
D. Daily check-ins. Practicing check-ins during anytime of the year is a good thing, but during a crazy busy and stressful time of the year can reduce stress, worry and anxiety. Make sure you are checking-in with your emotional, mental, physical and spiritual states. How are you doing? How are you managing your thoughts and emotions? What are you needing? Is there any area in need of more support?
A. Ask. Ask for help or support. Identify who can help you. Reach out for support. Call/email/text anyone who loves you, gets you, and is emotionally available for you. Is there somewhere you also draw support from in a spiritual sense? Ask your guides, Higher Power, the Universe, God, etc, for help and support.
Y. You. Take care of yourself. Nurture yourself. Have you scheduled downtime for yourself? Do you need to plan outings with others to re-energize? What are your needs during the holidays? How can you show yourself self-compassion?
S. Savor the joy. Seek out the things that light you up. Ignore the “should” and “have to” thoughts. Let go of any unnecessary tasks and carve out time for experiencing joy. An easy shift and free way to savor joy is listing what you are grateful for and identify the emotion behind these things. Sit quietly reflecting on all the good things in your life. Remember the saying from the letter “L”? Focus on joy and watch it grow in your life.
My main message during this holiday season is “Take Care of You”. This time of the year, when we are pulled in so many directions, is the ultimate challenge for how well we are managing our negative thoughts and self-limiting beliefs, coping positively with difficult memories and emotions, and prioritizing our needs. So, take care of you!
If you find yourself continuing to struggle after the last of the Christmas cookies and eggnog are gone, send me a message. Set up a relaxing and balancing Reiki session. Or we can talk it out and come up with a plan for reducing your post-holiday blues. mary@riversjourneywellness.com or mary@riversjourneycounseling.com
