The upcoming Christmas season is considered one of the most stressful holidays of the year. Celebrations, travel, guests, work, neighborhood , friend and family gatherings, shopping, traffic, food concerns, all of which can spell stress. It is considered one of the most stressful holidays of the year.
This may resonate with you and maybe nothing unfamiliar to you. As with other major holidays, car fatalities are higher during this time of year. In addition, we are at risk of making poor decisions of all kinds because we are busy, missing departed relatives, dealing with and sometimes being reminded of difficult people in our lives. It might all be summed by saying we are not paying attention to the moment. By not being fully present we can and do make poor choices. During these times we usually are not paying close attention to our inner guidance. It does seem that stress and listening to the quiet voice go hand in hand.
Here are a few suggests for the upcoming season to keep you, your family and your furry and feathery friends safe.
- Slow down. give yourself permission to take an extra three minutes.
- Plan ahead. Shop early. Perhaps you can cook ahead ad freeze food
- Say no a little more often and watch your stress levels decrease.
- Know your limitations and honor them.
- Pay attention to your people pleasing behaviors. Ask yourself “Why am I doing this? Am I doing this to please…?”
- Is there another way to do something so that you are not creating financial difficulties for yourself and your family?
- Make sure that your pets are safe. If you are having guests at your home, make sure that pets cannot escape. Many animals go missing because a door is left open or because someone is not watching to make sure that doors are closed.
- If you are stressed during this busy season, there is a good chance that your pets feel your stress and may also be more stressed themselves.
- Honor your pets and do not allow guests to greet and pet them if your furry friends are not comfortable with guests and strangers.
- If you are traveling and leaving pets behind, be sure that they are in good hands while you are gone. Too many people have pet sitters that are not attentive to the animals, creating stress for the pets who already are dealing with humans that are not home to be there with them.
- Above all, breathe deep and slowly. If you take a minute or two several times a day to take some deep breaths, it can and will calm you down.
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