A Gift For Yourself This Holiday Season

Does your list get longer as the big holiday gets closer?  Almost everyone I talk to these days has a glazed-over look on their face as the list of everything they have to get done seems so long and daunting.  I won’t lie, the holidays snuck up on me this year, and my own list seems daunting.  I needed to generate my own support and encouragement to get myself through this next week, so I decided to share what I’m doing with you.

It starts with putting your hand on your heart and taking a deep breath.  While you’re breathing, tell yourself the following:
Everything is okay.  
No matter what comes my way, I can handle it with grace.
I can get things done one thing at a time and take breaks as I need them.
As I do things for everyone else, I can support myself too.
I can figure it out.
I'm stronger than I think I am.
I’ve got this.

Figure out what lines resonate most with you, and keep repeating them to yourself as you focus on crossing things off your list, one thing at a time.

As you cross off each item, make sure that you celebrate getting that one thing done.  Celebrating doesn’t have to take long or be a big thing.  You can do that with a simple “Yay Me!!”  “One more thing done, and my list is getting shorter!”  

Our brains want to stay focused on everything on the list that isn’t done yet, but that will keep you frantic and spinning.  When you take just a few seconds to celebrate getting something done, your brain closes that loop, and it activates the motivation center in your brain so you are more likely to want to continue getting things done.

Celebrating everything you complete, no matter how small, will help you continue getting more and more done, making it so much more pleasant along the way.

In the meantime, ask yourself if there is anything that can come off the list.  Now that my kids are 19 and almost 22, I realize that the holidays have all blended together.  None of us remember exactly what we did every year.  I had a list of things that I was always striving for, but now I realize that we hardly remember the years we weren’t able to fit it all in — my kids don’t remember which years they didn’t get to visit Santa or bake cookies.

Now that my kids are older I realize that the holidays are cumulative, and we don’t have to do everything, every year.

So I ask you to join me in giving yourself some grace, support, and encouragement — and celebrate along the way as we wind down these last days of the holiday season.  Wishing you all a wonderful holiday filled with joy and happy memories!