Tag Archives: stress

affirmation, anger, appreciation, bible, choices, complaining, Control, Crazy, Creativity, emotions, Enlightenment, Expectation, faith, Fellowship, Friendship, God, Gratitude, Growing, happiness, Healing, ideas, intentional, joy, Lessons, life, love, mental challenge, mindfulness, peace, personal growth, planning, positive, Problems, purpose, scripture, self help, self improvement, spiritual enlightenment, Spititual Development, Values

Managing Holiday Anxiety: 10 Tips Staying Calm and Enjoying The Season…

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. -Philippians 4:6-7

The holiday season, often associated with joy and celebration, can also bring about stress and anxiety for many individuals. With the hustle and bustle of shopping, social gatherings, and expectations, it’s common to feel overwhelmed. However, it’s important to take proactive steps to manage and minimize holiday anxiety to ensure a more enjoyable and peaceful season.

  1. Acknowledge Your Feelings:

Acknowledge that it’s okay to feel anxious or stressed during this time. The pressure to create perfect moments or meet unrealistic expectations can add to these feelings. Recognizing and accepting these emotions is the first step in addressing them.

  1. Set Realistic Expectations:

Avoid setting overly high expectations for yourself, others or the holidays. Understand that perfection is unattainable, and it’s okay if everything doesn’t go exactly as planned. Embrace imperfections and focus on the joy of the moment rather than aiming for flawless celebrations.

  1. Plan and Prioritize:

Create a manageable plan for the holiday season. List the tasks that need to be accomplished and prioritize them based on importance. Breaking down tasks into smaller, achievable steps can help prevent feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of the season.

  1. Practice Self-Care:

Amidst the chaos, prioritize self-care. Ensure you get enough sleep, maintain a healthy diet, exercise regularly, read spiritual literature and practice relaxation techniques such as prayer, meditation or deep breathing. Taking care of your spiritual, physical and mental well-being can significantly reduce feelings of anxiety.

  1. Set Boundaries:

Learn to say ‘no’ when necessary. It’s okay to decline invitations or requests that may add unnecessary stress to your life. Setting boundaries protects your mental and emotional health, allowing you to enjoy the holidays more fully.

  1. Focus on Meaningful Moments:

Redirect your focus from material aspects to meaningful experiences. Spend quality time with loved ones, engage in activities that bring joy, and participate in volunteering or acts of kindness. Connecting with others and giving back can add a deeper sense of fulfillment during the holidays.

  1. Budget Wisely:

Financial stress is a common trigger during the holidays. Set a realistic budget and stick to it. Consider alternatives to expensive gifts, such as homemade presents or organizing gift exchanges to reduce financial strain. Remember, it’s the thought that counts!

  1. Seek Support:

Don’t hesitate to seek support from friends, family, or a professional if you’re feeling overwhelmed. Sometimes sharing your feelings or seeking guidance can provide valuable perspective and alleviate anxiety. Every now and then, everyone needs to unload their truck!

  1. Reflect and Appreciate:

Take time to reflect on the positives of the holiday season. Practice gratitude for the moments, experiences, and people in your life. Gratitude can shift your focus from stressors to appreciation, fostering a more positive mindset.

  1. Enjoy Yourself!

In conclusion, while holiday anxiety is common, it’s possible to manage it effectively by setting realistic expectations, prioritizing self-care, focusing on meaningful moments, and seeking support when needed. By incorporating these strategies, you can navigate the holiday season with greater calmness, allowing yourself to truly enjoy the festive spirit and the real reason for the season.

Blogroll, Control, emotions, faith, Gratitude, life, mindfulness, self help, self improvement

Stress Busters!

In my line of work as a Minister, master Life Coach and Mentor, I often find myself with a plate full of my own stuff and then add to that all the other people that I work with and their stuff and you can only imagine that the stress level can get very high. Folks often ask me: “How do you manage it all with a smile on your face and a positive attitude?“ To which I respond: “I don’t always manage it all. I’m not always smiling and sometimes my attitude needs adjusting.”

“Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.” -Proverbs 12:25

I have however, learned a few tricks that help me to usually keep the wagon between the ditches and as long as I am keeping a check on these seven areas and making the necessary adjustments, they usually aid me in living life from a good place.

1.) QUIET TIME! There is way too much noise in this world and the majority of it is a waste, just mindless filler. We were created for quietness. In fact, God says to be still, be quiet and listen for His gentle whisper. Make time for quiet time, where you just sit in quietness of go for a walk with nothing but the sounds of nature. It is amazing what this does for us physically, mentally and spiritually.

2.) BREATE! I know what you’re thinking: If I don’t breath, then I would die and the truth is that is exactly what a lot of folks are doing – dying a slow death. Take time to breathe and notice your breath. Every now and then stop what you’re doing and take three deep breaths in and out and thank God for the gift of air.

3.) THINK GOOD THOUGHTS! Everything that is, was once a thought. In other words: Thoughts are things! We need to be monitoring our thoughts to make sure our thoughts are positive and not negative. If we are having negative thoughts, then we need to get rid of them as quickly as possible and replace them with positive thoughts, because as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.

4.) HYDRATE! Water is important, we cannot survive without it and we will not thrive is we don’t make sure that we are giving our body a regular supply. The common wisdom says we should drink at least 8 glasses a day. Water is the very best medicine we can take and works to benefit every part of our life and living.

5.) PRACTICE GRATITUDE! We have much to be thankful for, but we are usually too busy and preoccupied to take the time to think about it. Make sure that you are making time to to think about your blessings and taking time to say thank you for it all.

6.) STRETCH! We learn this in Primary School Gym Class. It is important to stretch our muscles before we work out and just living life in this world is a work out, so we should be stretching everyday, a few times a day. It’s amazing how much better it makes you feel, so make it a priority, you will be glad you did.

7.) MANAGE EXPECTATIONS! You can’t do everything, so be realistic with yourself and with others about what you can and can’t do. Be honest about what you will and won’t do. You don’t have to do everything and if you try to do it all, then you are sure to fail. Focus on what really matters, let the rest work itself out and you will be a much happier person…

Uncategorized

Change Your Why To What And Move On!

Sometimes it just seems like it does not matter what you do, the world is just lined up against you. You get up with a good attitude, begin to take all the steps to head your life in a right direction and “BAM” out of nowhere you get blindsided once again with stuff you feel is totally out of your control.

So many of the people I talk to on a daily basis really do want to do better and live a more fulfilled life, but it just seems that no matter how hard they try, carefully they plan or how organized they become, life just seems to find a way of sticking it to them.

You may be one of those folks and trust me when I tell you that I can most definitely relate. I mean, I really do have the best of intentions. I like to think I have a pretty incredible work ethic and a tenacity to stick with it, no matter what, but sometimes life just seems to get too hard, especially when I seem to keep taking blow after blow after blow.

I have learned that when my life gets to this place, the first question, becomes the reoccurring question and before I know it, I have dug myself a grave. The question we tend to ask that gets us into such a mess is: “Why is this happening to me?” and the problem with the question is that it puts all the focus into the wrong place – me!

If you really want to succeed and experience blessings in this life, then you need to not only ask questions, but make sure you are asking the right questions. If we will just change our “why” question into a “what” question, we will be amazingly surprised at what a difference it will begin to make in our attitude and through our attitude with our life and living.

If you are going to ask and answer a question, then make sure it’s the right one. Instead of asking “Why is this happening to me?” Ask – “WHAT IS THIS TRYING TO TEACH ME?” It is the answer to this question that has the potential to set us free to be blessed in incredible ways. This question takes the focus off of me and puts it on the lesson I need to learn and once I learn this lesson, I am on my way to the better I was created for.

So my encouragement for today is to change your “WHY?” into a “WHAT?” and grow on! Trust me, you will be glad you did…