Maintaining Your Center During the Holidays

Everything about the holiday season is alluring…the commercials entice you to buy the newest bright, shiny objects, friends and family are begging for attention, your FaceBook Friends are throwing snowballs and sending one “gift” after another…even your dog wants his ReinDog Antlers! Plus, many of us who struggle with sweet-lust are presented with one tasty morsel after another and the refrain in our minds is, “Eat it, it’s the Holidays, you deserve it.” How does that same bag of M & M’s that you would not be tempted by during the year become calorie-free and perfectly rationalizable during the months of November and December? Wrong, I say, wrong!

Even I would not suggest you START the 28 Day Soul Coaching program during the height of the holiday season. There is just too much distraction going on for most of us to get the optimum benefit from it during this time of uber-distractions. But we CAN maintain our center and stay focused on our own form of self-care during this time.

Here are a few tips and hints to help you keep your Soul’s Center during the Holidays

• It does not matter if you are religious or not, the energy of our planet is immersed in that of the Spiritual at this time of year. Tap into the collective unconscious of all things spiritual and enjoy being one with your fellow mankind.
• Set limits and stick to them. This means spending limits, eating/drinking limits, number of events to attend limits and limit the time spent on anything that does not bring you joy (some is unavoidable, so limit).
• Give to the charity of your choice. I love Kiva.org.
• Have realistic expectations. You know that Norman Rockwell Christmas portrait in your mind? Throw it out and think Christmas Story! That is closer to most of our realities.
• Get enough sleep, take your vitamins and oh yeah, get enough sleep.
• Spend some time outside everyday, even if it is NW Minnesota cold. Make yourself. I pretend I am in an old 40s movie, gracefully meandering in the snow…looking glamorous. Yes, I said I pretend.
• Treat yourself; get a massage, a fun intuitive reading, have your hands read, whatever would give you a lift.
• Maintain your meditation practice. Period. Just do it…everyday!
• If you do not meditate, start now. This is one practice that will be worth beginning during the holidays. Even five minutes a day will help keep you centered (even if just for a moment at a time).
• Most of all…Have fun! Treat yourself. This is a time of JOY…maintain YOUR JOYFULNESS!