Has holiday stress already hit you?

We all want our holiday season to be the most wonderful time of the year, but often we experience the opposite. Instead of joy, peace and love, we can find ourselves in chaos, overwhelm, resentment, disappointment and just SO. MUCH. STRESS.

What if there were some things you could do (that don’t take much time or add to your to-do list) to help you ACTUALLY feel joy, peace and love?

Here are 4 ways to STRESS LESS this holiday season:

1. Set an intention.

How do you want to feel this month? Keep it simple and pick one word to use as your mantra. Then ask yourself: What choices can I make to help me experience this emotion?

2. Simplify.

We put so much pressure on ourselves at this time of year to do ALL the things. How can you simplify? What can you delete from your life that will help you this month?

I've already started this one. Over Thanksgiving, even though I was hosting, I chose to order the whole meal. Instead of slaving away in the kitchen all week, I chose to do things I enjoyed - like going to out to dinner one night, and playing a ton of games with my family. The week was so much more enJOYable, and I wasn't exhausted afterwards!

3. Create pockets of peace in your days.

Our soulful self-care often gets thrown out the window during the holidays, but a little goes a long way! Just a few minutes of your day to ground yourself and connect to your heart will help you show up for others in the right heart space. This can make a HUGE difference in the quality of your days.

4. Accept what is.

No matter what we do, we will likely have some stressful moments and less than loving interactions with the ones we love. Beating yourself up about it only makes things worse. Give grace to the people around you. Remind yourself that you’re ALL doing the best you can. Take a few deep breaths. Remember your intention. And then start anew.

I hope you find these practices helpful. Wishing you a lovely, joyful, peaceful holiday season.

Love and light,